Tis the Season for Some People
by Mademoiselle Anime Amour
Summary: AU. Axel's landlord presents him with the best early X-mas gift of all: an eviction. How is this redhead going to survive the holidays? With a little help from his friends of course! X-mas fic. Rated T. PAIRINGS GALORE! R&R!
1. Not Home for the Holidays

**A/N: Hello, peeps! Well, the Christmas fic I've insisted on bringing up every so often is finally here. Woooooooot, Christmas is one of my favorite times of year! It's great, it's glorious--it's, well, let's cut to the first chapter. This was originally thought up of as a dark comedy (though you will see it gets considerably lighter after the first chapter), so that's why chapter one might not be the happiest chapter in the world. Then again, I love Christmas too much to make any darkness out of the fic. After all, well, it's about family and all that good stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned in this fic, especially NOT major corporations such as Wal-Mart.**

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**Chapter 1: Not Home for the Holidays**

A tall redhead waved goodbye to one of his friends as he left the Wal-Mart building, his shift over for the day. He knew Christmas was two weeks away, much to his bitterness. He had no family in his eyes, for they had treated him deplorably. So, if one of the most important ingredients in the perfect Christmas was family, then Axel severely lacked true happiness.

He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked the crowded streets, casually whistling a familiar tune, though not a holiday carol. Seeing avid shoppers peering into shop windows as he strode by compelled him to vomit. Of course, he would never do such a revolting act in public. He definitely wanted to, though.

The sweetness of the holiday season kept souring for the cynical Axel, year after dismal year. A loner, he spent every Christmas eating microwavable foods instead of the traditional turkey or ham. Friends never bothered to visit his apartment due to their own busy family plans. And his family insisted on informing him how worthless he supposedly was in whatever form possible. So, anything remotely connected to Christmas sickened him. How he loathed it! Light snowflakes drifted down toward Axel's spiky red hair, annoying him.

Snow, snow, snow! When would it ever cease? He sighed irritably once he stopped at the stoop of the apartment building at which he resided. Brushing the cold ivory flakes away from the bright crimson of his hair, he entered the brownstone building and ascended the creaky wooden steps to his apartment. He thought of how the manager should really have carpenters to fix the practically rotten stairs.

What Axel didn't expect, however, was a yellow notice that had been tacked on to his door that lead into room 850. This signified that he had forgotten to pay his rent for the third month in a row, meaning eviction.

He stared at the piece of paper blankly...and stared...and stared until he decided to face the music by ripping it away from the tack.

It stated the following words that vexed him even more:

Mr. Axel,

You have failed to pay your rent in the past three months. As you are already aware, water had been cut from your apartment room 850 as well as your electricity. With that said, it was merely a matter of time before I decided to take matters into my own hands and evict you. I hope you will not forget your payments at your next home, wherever it may be.

-your landlord, Mr. Valentine

Axel's hands fell limply to his sides as the tersely written notice fluttered onto the floor. Right before the holidays, and he had managed to inadvertently force himself out his home in which he inhabited for three years, since the age of fifteen. Not only that, but he noted how coldly polite his landlord had managed to come off as in the note, almost as if he served as a trifling pest to him.

"Ho, ho, ho," he muttered sarcastically, "I've just been evicted by Ebenezer Scrooge. Merry Christmas, my ass!"

Trudging inside his disheveled room for the last time, he removed battered suitcases from his closet to pack his few belongings. The apartment itself was strewn with neglected bags that once contained potato chips, articles of dirty clothing, and generally absolute filth. He had never had the time to tidy up his own living space. Ironic, how Axel would now gaze at the building outside, fully aware that he no longer had his perfectly organized mess. Grumbling under his breath, he stomped to his bedroom last to salvage his precious treasures. In the suitcases went a handheld, his toy racecar collection, and photographed mementos.

Axel took an especially fond look at a picture with him wearing his blue Wal-Mart vest for the first time with three of his then newly found friends, two of them also wearing vests. These boys had been there for him during his darkest days fresh from running away from his horrendous family. Zexion, Demyx, and especially Roxas welcomed him to the town warmly, showing him around. Going to the theater to watch gory horror films, skateboarding at the local park, and seeing who could eat the most Chinese food...All these memories stood out in Axel's mind in a rush just by gazing at this framed photo before him. A slight smile tugged at his lips as he gently placed it inside the suitcase.

However, the bitterness of his current situation taunted him with a vengeance. Here he was, sitting on his stoop, his fists under his chin in a pitifully agonizing manner. The fluffy white snowflakes continued to allot themselves in his meticulously spiked hair. After the third attempt of ridding himself of these wintry annoyances, he surrendered depressingly with a sigh of lament. Why did this have to happen to him?

Axel betted that his landlord felt secretly overjoyed when writing that eviction note.

Mr. Valentine had immediately scrunched up his elegant nose at the sight of him, he remembered. A formidable man that stood roughly six feet tall and had cascading raven hair, the landlord proved himself as a frigidly uninviting character. The fact that he had a golden claw in place of a right hand had done nothing to ease Axel's shivering at the time. Mr. Valentine had unnecessarily told him that he had lost his hand in the last war, disturbing his renter even more.

Upon finding out Axel had run away from home, he had commented, "It's a cowardly thing to do. Why bother running away at this young an age when life in the real world is so much more difficult?"

Axel always dreaded his landlord's presence at the end of every month to collect the rent. Mr. Valentine had usually poked his ghastly pallid face through the doorway of room 850, raven hair practically covering his haunting face. He would motion for the two hundred dollars with his golden prosthetic hand... Reflecting on this tingled Axel's spine with slight fear; his landlord had been one of the scariest people he had ever encountered....willingly or not. And to think, this harbinger of terror had evicted him just before the holidays! Of course, Mr. Valentine would do something as tasteless as this, Axel thought dismally, staring dully at the busy citizens. And the snow still wouldn't stop. What else could go wrong at this hour?

He glimpsed a diminutive five-year-old girl running toward him, her hazel eyes glowing with friendliness. She held a cute blue purse in one hand and a shopping bag in the other, appearing as a miniature adult. Axel did have a soft spot for children; they did do the most adorable things while still maintaining their innocence. He almost wished that he was a carefree kid again instead of a high school dropout (or maybe transfer student was the more correct term) struggling to survive in the real world. The weight of the world seemed to be placed heavily on his shoulders.

"Hey, Mommy!" the girl yelled over her shoulder. "There's a homeless man here. We should help him!"

Oh great, now people thought he was a hobo—definitely the story of his life. Noticing a gracefully tall woman wearing a beige leather coat, black gloves, and a bright red scarf wound around her neck, he hunched his shoulders in hopes that he would somehow become invisible. He was starting to feel self-conscious of his current station in life: homeless. Homeless, all because he had kept forgetting to pay his stupid rent. Seeing this obviously wealthy mother/daughter pair only added to his unease.

Walking like a flawless model striding down a runway, the mother approached where her daughter eagerly waited. Upon espying Axel, whom the girl mentioned as a homeless man, her stony brown eyes took on a hostile glint that immediately said distrust. She wrinkled her perfect nose with disgust at the fact that her angelic daughter had dared to associate with the likes of this hooligan. He could pose as a threat to their safety. Suppose he had a gun concealed within his sweatshirt pockets?

"Harriet, come here at once!" the overprotective mother barked.

Reluctantly, the little girl complied with her guardian's order but not before gazing sorrowfully at Axel.

He remained ever silent and only stared back with the same agony as he hunched his shoulders as far up as they could go. Wincing when the girl's mother rushed toward him, he knew what would happen next.

"How dare you speak to my Harriet! You are not worthy to do so."

"But, m'am, I—"

"Shut up! Do you think this is a joke? If that's the case, well, I'm not laughing! I won't even give so much as a penny to you."

The woman paused for breath before letting her daughter know that the two of them would go home and forget that they even talked to this idiotic boy who had managed to end up in the streets. Before they departed, however, the mother called over her shoulder, "You would have just spent my hard-earned money on booze and cigarettes—get a job, young man!"

Infuriated, Axel leapt to his feet in an instant, his temper flaring.

"I already have one, you prejudiced—!"

He abruptly seated himself back on the stoop, realizing that he shouldn't use profanity when there are ladies present, especially around an impressionable little girl. Harriet and her hoity-toity mother had long since left anyway.

Axel had no patience for people who so quickly stereotyped others; that high-society lady was one of them. But, with good breeding came ill morals, he thought sourly as he recalled what had occurred. He assumed that that mother thought he had a gun in his possession, which he certainly did not. The government never even bestowed him his permit yet. With a heavy sigh, he bitterly imagined what life was like for Harriet and her mother.

Yes, he could see it now. The two of them along with a handsome businessman father residing in a fancy high-rise downtown where their wealth had no boundaries. That impeccable family lived a grand, fantastic dream that only lesser mortals could have in their sleep. Fine dining 365 days a year, a butler catering to their every whim, and a plasma screen television; Axel had always craved for this last material possession. The rich family probably rolled around in gold coins, gems, and hundred-dollar bills, an extremely envious idea.

Meanwhile, as Dad fired employees without so much as a blink of an eye, the mother trained Harriet to become as prejudiced and self-absorbed as her. By the time that girl reached puberty, Axel predicted that she would have an entire clique of airheaded girls at her disposal. She would have a horrific, bratty attitude to boot. Axel tended to be a realistic thinker. And he never felt as pessimistic and spiteful toward this wretched world as he did now. After all, Harriet and her parents most likely had everything, whereas he currently had nothing but his two suitcases and the clothes on his back. What truly peeved him most, what really set him off was that that filthy rich family would gather around their expensive Christmas tree and laugh joyfully, oblivious to world.

If only he was that lucky.

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**A/N: For some reason, I could randomly picture Vincent Valentine as a creepy landlord. Don't ask, it's my random mind that created the idea. I think it may have had something to do with this one fic I read in which Vincent is homeless watch salesman. But, that's a whole different ballpark there, folks.**

**And yes, I referened a Beatles song in my summary. Because who doesn't like that band? Well, anyway, please review this first chapter. It will get better from here, I promise you.**

**Oh, and one more thing, there will be slight language. As much as I was kind of reluctant to do this at the time, I remembered what a wise fanfic writer once said. If you wrecked your car, you definitely wouldn't be saying, "Darn!"**


	2. A Generous Offer

**A/N: Hi. Well, in case anyone cares, this story will be updated on a daily basis. After all, it's a twelve days of Christmas kinda deal. I update this until Christmas Eve, and then it's over. Simple as that. Well, here's the second chapter. PLEASE READ, I AM A DESPERATE AUTHOR WITH NO REVIEWS FOR THIS STORY SO FAR! However, thank you to Destiny's Fury for putting this on story alert.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is in the Fortune 500 companies thing.**

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**Chapter 2: A Generous Offer**

Depressingly, Axel continued to sit on the stoop of his former home until the too early twilight that usually accompanies winter crawled onto the scene. Rich colors splattered on the canvas better known as the sky: vivid reds, pale yellows, regal purples, faint oranges, and very wan blues all arranged themselves magnificently. The shoppers who had hunted for bargains all day dispersed minute by minute, either returning home or hailing a taxi to perhaps dine at a fancy restaurant.

Axel could care less.

He maintained his apathy, even as the weak sunlight dimmed, and the temperature dropped five degrees to eventually descend to a bone-chilling fifteen degrees for that night's low. Of course, this was according to the unlikable weatherman on TV whom Axel knew always got the forecast wrong. Typical of that guy, really. Oddly enough, that sardonic comment in his mind caused him to smile wryly. No matter what happened, his morbid humor would always be there to somewhat cheer him. Unfortunately, the flurries that had persisted all day tenaciously danced a wintertime waltz that provided no rest for the weary. In other words, an exasperated Axel still had these flakes to put up with.

Heaving a hopeless, lamenting sigh, he excavated a candy bar from the depths of one of his cumbersome suitcases. Maybe a Kit-Kat bar would elate his down-trodden spirits—in the event that it had stayed unfrozen, of course. As he took a bit of the chocolate to find it to his liking, Axel swore he heard the rolling of wheels on cement. A flipping of a certain board that was most likely painted dark blue and black, which he had admired many times at his workplace. A board that made him bitterly remember how he broke his own one day when landing painfully on his tailbone; he truly hoped that the board he thought he heard would arrive shortly. Who knew that wheels would induce him to think that help was on the way?

Sure enough, the skateboard which Axel had envied the owner appeared around his street corner toward him at an extreme velocity. The particular boy riding the board arrogantly showed off his tricks such as the handstand, the ollie he had just perfected—even grinding on the rail of a stoop. An elderly woman poked her head outside the moment she heard somebody on her property.

"Hey, young man," she screeched the boy's way, "stay off my stoop, won't you?"

"Sorry Mrs. Callahan," he yelled over his shoulder as he neared his destination.

Meanwhile, Axel jolted his head up, leaving his pathetic excuse for a dinner temporarily forgotten. A crooked grin decorated his face, for he was aware that his rescuer had arrived at last. Flipping his skateboard into the crook of his arm as he stopped, the blond smirked in greeting.

"'Sup, Axel!"

"Hey, Roxas."

Wait until Axel told his best friend the dismal news! The redhead sighed yet again, picking up his chocolate bar again to nibble; he honestly didn't want to mooch off his friend like some sort of leech. He never asked for assistance if he could help it, especially on holidays. The last thing he ever wished his pals was to bring them down emotionally. Still, Axel felt totally obligated to inform Roxas of his current situation.

"Are you OK, Axel? You look bummed out, dude."

Loyal friend as ever, Roxas sat beside Axel on the steps, attempting to decode what troubled him. However, the redhead enshrouded his face with an emotionless, drab mask as he inevitably fell into himself, listing his misfortunes silently.

All the unlucky events of the past week that lead up to today's eviction haunted his mind and gave him chills that he had grown accustomed to as well.

Last Tuesday, the vile electric company robbed him of his precious electricity, which made him curse like a sailor for five hours on end. He recalled how his neighbor, Mr. Strife, quietly tapped upon his door.

When Axel saw the calmly furious blond man at his doorstep, he wasn't even prepared to hear the words that came out of his neighbor's mouth.

"Look, I'm watching _Wheel of Fortune_ right now. Tom is winning, and I have been rooting for him for the past five minutes. Now, I don't care if you were too lazy to pay the electric bill, just stop cursing and let me watch my show in peace."

Even though he had stated this softly, evident rage proved that Mr. Strife meant what he said. He would get what he wanted, no matter what Axel's opinion was of it.

A slam of the door announced Axel's reluctant agreement.

Then, of course, with the electricity gone before he could think twice, he discovered one day that he suddenly couldn't flush the toilet. Racing to each cramped room with running water, Axel tried using each and every tap.

Those sick idiots who controlled his life had shut off his water, too.

At this rate, he finally realized that he seriously needed to pay his bills before the next step in apartment torture came in: the eviction. And, what with him shivering from severe deprivation of heat, he knew he had to do this quickly.

Axel started working overtime at the local Wal-Mart for the preceding three days, doing everything he could to still have ownership of his home. He would stock every over-the-counter medicine in aisle nine, scrub the floor tiles spotless, and even clean every last toilet until the effort killed him. Though death remained far away, his weariness still wasn't enough to prevent the eviction. A bitter thought came to him that Wal-Mart should treat its employees better, especially when it came to the money department.

After all, who could possibly eke out on minimum wage for life?

Sighing from all these painful memories, Axel kept his silence and refused to talk to his best friend.

Meanwhile, Roxas' patience eroded to the point that he thought he was completely insane from the effort. Axel had wasted five minutes without an elaboration on his greeting. Whatever had infected him must surely be taking its toll, or else he would talk by now.

Roxas desperately wished that his best friend would divulge the bleak news. Did he have a disease? Did his family die? Did he misplace his matches that he loved more than life itself?

Taking a drastic measure, Roxas shook Axel to the point of faint dizziness that somewhat annoyed him.

"You won't talk...I'm gonna make you talk!"

When the blond finished his determined detective-style approach, emerald eyes had widened to the size of plates.

Fine, fine, he would talk. What did he have to lose?

His words came out in a jumbled mess. "So, Roxas, it turns out I've been evicted from my lousy apartment, and now I have to live on the street and make money playing guitar (I'm not even that good) and—"

"Whoa, slow down, dude!"

Following the concerned advice, Axel endeavored to placate his breathing rate.

Just as he managed the basics, he heeded to Roxas' excessive fake coughing that almost always calmed him down, bringing him to sanity again.

"OK, so let me get this straight," Roxas placed his hands in front of him in a mature, collected manner, "you've been evicted by Mr. Valentine. Is that right?"

"Yes, that creep kicked me out."

"A simple 'yes' would have been good, Axe. _And _this means you're homeless, right?"

"Yeah," grunted Axel.

"So, you have to live on the street with minimum wage cash, meaning—"

Grabbing Roxas' shoulder rather invasively, Axel shouted, "Yes! I am officially a hobo! Screwed, hopeless, miserable—I'm all those things. Not only that, but it's two weeks til Christmas, the worst time of the year!"

Roxas flipped back strands of his hair and bestowed a winning, jocular grin that could always charm his girlfriend Olette any day of the week. "Don't steal Christmas this year, Axel! I didn't think you could be that much of a grinch."

"I'm not a grinch! It's just...just that I have issues with it, that's all. I...uh...told you how much my family hated me, you know."

"I know, but I still don't get why you hate Christmas."

Stoically, Axel raised his hands in the air in a mock gesture of surrender. "I thought it'd be obvious to you, man. I guess not."

Desperately wanting to hear strong, plausible answers, Roxas threatened to shake words out of his redheaded friend again.

"OK, OK, you win! Do you know why I hate Christmas? Do you _really _wanna know?"

"Yes!" Seating himself back down, Roxas clasped his hands eagerly.

Sadly, he had no time to prepare for Axel's explosive, fiery tirade.

"It's because people are _so _happy! How can anyone be that happy all the freaking time? And don't get me started on those angelic families!

"Here's an example of one," Axel said as he stood up, proceeding to crudely imitate members of the perfect family. "Hey, Peter, get the camera while we watch little Suzie open presents! What's that you say, Suzie? You want to actually see Santa. Oh yes, Mommy, I really do! Well, Peter, explain to the girl. Fine, Suzie, I'd hate to tell you this...but there's no Santa Claus. He's not real, and even if he was, he would have gotten run over by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Freaking Reindeer! There!"

To compose himself, Axel stuffed the remains of his candy bar, including the wrapper, into his mouth. He chewed loudly enough to awaken the dead.

With blue eyes wide, Roxas took in the pathetic state of his friend, completely baffled by his story derived from his perturbed imagination.

"So, your family treated you like crap on Christmas. Is that it?"

Axel precariously lifted his head from his knees, for he had tried to conceal himself from the disgusted glances of total strangers who had eavesdropped on his malicious story. People simply despised a person who screamed to the world out loud that he hated Christmas with a passion, especially when mean-spirited impressions were involved. Axel had found this out the hard way.

"Yeah, my family hates me," he tartly answered Roxas' question. "Just to prove it to you, my dad gave me only one present 'from the family' on my last Christmas at home. It was a twelve-pack of Miller-Lite beer.

"'You better make use of that, you good-for-nothing' he told me. The rest of those idiots just laughed. Yeah...like it was absolutely hilarious I got alcohol at _fifteen _or something like that! My cousin Reno used to come over for Christmas with my aunt and uncle. He was the only guy in the family who liked me. Of course, he's in college now—stopped coming over three years ago. I miss him, but I don't think too much of it since I'm away from those rats now."

Wisely, Roxas nodded his head comprehensively as he spotted the first twinkling star in the night sky. Axel looked his direction.

"Stars are up, huh? Figures. It feels like twenty degrees already; I'd hate to think what it'll be at midnight. The weatherman strikes again with his lies!"

"You don't have to tell me." Roxas chuckled softly.

The two of them merely gazed at the ebony blanket stretched above them while the short blond boy tried to create a plan. After all, Axel shouldn't be completely alone for the holidays, least of all stranded on an icy stoop with his few belongings gathered near him. Why not put him in a decent hotel? No, he didn't have the money.

Perhaps Axel should stay at Zexion's? No, the sixteen-year's mother couldn't tolerate homeless people.

All of a sudden, like a flash of lightning, the foolproof plan that would be the most effective struck Roxas. An idea so brilliant that no loopholes could penetrate it nor meddling adults to destroy it (at least, strict ones).

He had it: Axel could live in his house.

Great! Considering that Roxas resided in a modest suburb outside this city of smog, he was keenly aware that it served as the perfect location. His mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Highwind, were the kindest, friendliest people in town. And, to top it all off, the amiable Sora Highwind was his twin brother. Success!

Unfortunately, Roxas realized, one problem still stood in his way.

Glancing at miserable Axel, who twirled a loose thread of his hooded sweatshirt around his finger, he felt his heart sink to his stomach. This elaborate plan would work only if Axel would accept the offer. If he refused it, them so be it...though Roxas couldn't exactly abandon a friend to a disastrous fate, especially one like this.

Noting that Roxas stared at him, Axel blankly asked, "What?"

"I have this idea...but, I'm not sure if you'll like it."

"What is it?"

The redhead's eyes now focused on him, which caused him to ponder on the state of his best pal's soul. Honestly, could those usually bright green eyes look any duller or any bleaker or any more depressed than at this moment? Instincts told Roxas that it would be difficult to imagine the dimmed eyes any sadder than now. So, he pressed his carefully rehearsed, inward question courageously without spending more thoughts on Axel's reaction.

"Do you mind if I suggest that you stay with my family for Christmas?"

A jaw dropped in response. Axel could hardly believe that his friend of three years would offer him such charity.

Should he take up residence at Roxas' house for the holiday season? Well, it was not as though it was a death sentence. After all, he had been formally introduced to the other Highwinds, whom he found a delight. They could have cared less about what caste he fell in, despite their immense wealth; all that mattered to them was how he treated other people. In turn, Roxas' sociable family later described Axel as "a nice guy" and "fun to be around." With that in mind, he assumed that even though he had to accept charity, he would think it satisfying in the end. His current dour mood toward Christmas became a distant memory.

"Sure, why not? I mean, your family has good people," he finally replied.

Startled from this sudden consent, Roxas stared at Axel to search for any clues that could point to second thoughts or any reluctance. But, Axel remained cool and collected while maintaining an expression of lucid certainty. Aware that no harm would come to him in staying with the Highwinds, he had made up his mind. And once he decided, he seldom went back on his word.

"Axel, are you sure? You usually don't take offers like this."

He looked toward Roxas, who appeared rather apprehensive and innocently unsure. Suppressing a chuckle, he discovered how much of a hypocrite young Highwind was becoming. Still, he held his laughs in when he said in a tone of finality, "Of course I'm sure! And why so nervous? I thought you came up with this plan."

Upon receiving a look of feigned reproach that he believed, Roxas stuttered horribly, "I—I...well...I—I th—thought y—you'd k—kill me."

Axel smirked as he chortled mirthfully. "Come on, buddy, I'd never kill you. I would rather make you nervous and/or terrified."

His minor joke worked—Roxas paled several shades before getting the joke.

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**A/N: Well, there you have it. There will be assorted pairings in this fic, including the one mentioned Roxette. Anyways, sorry if Axel was a bit crude in this one. For some reason, I based him off John Bender off Breakfast Club (a movie you should seriously watch). But, yeah, I made him the one with a less than perfect former home life. As for the other random stuff, well, I thought Cloud being mad over missing an episode of Wheel of Fortune would be funny. And yeah, there's so much stuff here. And I wrote this chapter last year during an ice storm and the power was out and my writing hand was freezing, so--**

**--Anyways, I'd hate to beg, but PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW FOR THE LOVE OF KINGDOM HEARTS!!!! XD 'Cause seriously, I don't know if you guys think this story sucks or what.**


	3. Winter Journey

**A/N: Well, since people have reviewed, it's safe to say that this story is far from cancellation at this point. However, I was only OK with the first two chapters when I originally wrote them. Believe me, chapter 3 is a turning point, because it was the first chapter I had written in this story that I was fully happy with. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in any way and am not associated with the corporation(s) mentioned.**

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**Chapter 3: Winter Journey**

Roxas and Axel set off for the subway station without any time wasted or any words uttered. Hunching their shoulders against the frosty wind, they trudged robotically to their destination. They naturally blended into this urban, wintertime environment, with merely a few people glancing at them. The city lights, ever incandescently glowing, glared down upon them like creepy, owlish eyes. In fact, these lights were luminescent enough to burn any passerby's eyes. Roxas wondered how any resident here would survive if a major power outage happened in this fast-paced, perpetual city.

Christmas music belted itself from a nearby Barnes & Noble bookstore, which irritated Axel instead of city lights.

"I know the people there play it to be festive," he commented as he shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets, "but this music is really bad."

"I'd agree with you, but you're the grinch, remember?" Roxas sneered playfully enough to have his friend cast him a reproachful glance.

"I'm not going to tell you enough to stop calling me that, am I?"

Chuckling under his breath, Roxas soon pointed out the subway station to Axel, and they inspected the map to find out when to board the subway. After sitting impatiently on the bench for fifteen minutes, they avidly embarked on the ride to the suburbs. As the tunnel walls rushed in a blur by the passengers, Roxas started yet another conversation.

"So...do you have any ideas as to what you want for Christmas?"

Axel stared at him as though he had just babbled on concerning an obscure topic. Then, the redhead nonchalantly shrugged it off and scoffed, "What would _I _want for that stupid holiday? Well, as long as there aren't any cigarettes involved, I'm fine."

Passengers responded by snorting repulsively at him.

"What is it with you people?" he asked them. "Don't you know you shouldn't be eavesdropping?"

Roxas tugged Axel's sleeve to force him gently back to his seat while giving an apologetic glance to everyone else.

"Axel, what is with you tonight?"

"You know what."

"Well, I know you hate eavesdroppers as much as the next person, but you need to calm down, OK?"

Nodding his head slightly, Axel leaned against the cool glass of the window, practically inducing himself to a headache from the scenery rush.

He heard the chatter of exhilarated people speaking of holiday plans that had been set up for their families—he felt like throwing up for the second time that day. The memories of previously rotten Christmases came back to haunt him as his headache escalated into a horrific migraine. His father laughed cruelly at him every year, his mother burned the turkey on purpose, and his brother, at a younger age, opened the presents before Christmas. And of course, Axel was always to blame, being the only sane guy in the family.

Obviously, nothing seemed worse for him than having to occasionally listen to conversations concerning an excellent chef as a grandmother or children opening expensive gifts that they had pestered their parents for all year. It sickened him, this cheerful talk. He desperately wished for it all to merely vanish without a trace—or better yet, the people leaving him and Roxas alone. This last thought compelled him to look his friend's way, for Roxas had been silent for too long a time. Buzzes of conversation from the passengers seemed to disperse like flies finally drifting off in the breeze. Merely observing the sleeping form of a best friend stole it away, it seemed. Roxas peacefully slept on the bench, one foot dangling while the other perched guardedly on his skateboard, as if he feared intruders would rob him of his prized possession.

Axel smirked benevolently as he resolved not to awaken him. He could do that of his own accord when the subway would screech to a halt. Complacently, the redhead stretched his arms before resting them once more on the window sill, taking perspective of the scenery with abrupt delight. Serenity had sprung within him in the knowledge that he would not spend Christmas alone, but with a family that treated others courteously. Politeness—definitely not anything that existed within his since abandoned household. Sighing, Axel began to feel somewhat drowsy, but it was a content sense, some place between awake and sleeping.

He imagined watching Roxas and the other Highwinds exchanging gifts and how pleased they would react upon receiving them. A Christmas tree with captivating, iridescent bulbs radiated in his vision as well as the kitchen filled with various ingredients for the feast that day. To be included in all this mirth and merriment excited him, and it no longer seemed to him that he would serve as an irksome burden.

Staring at Roxas again, he muttered, "OK, Rox, my heart is already three sizes bigger. Call me a grinch now, I dare ya." He smirked for the umpteenth time this trip.

On the verge of escaping to holiday dreams that glowed just a little brighter than usual, Axel was interrupted when the conductor announced through an intercom, "Next stop, Twilight Town. Any passenger who wants to be off to this place may get off now."

"Hey, Roxas, that's our stop. Roxas...ROXAS!"

"What? Oh..." The blond boy blushed sheepishly once he recognized his error. "I guess I fell asleep, didn't I?"

"You were out like a light...or the electricity at my old place. Let's go."

The two hopped off the underground vehicle to take the last leg of their journey to pinpoint the exact neighborhood where Roxas' house stood, at least for Axel. He hadn't been there for a visit in years, not since the time he had first stumbled into the city and met Roxas. He sincerely hoped the family would remember him after three years.

Despite this minor anxiety, however, Axel reminisced on how much he enjoyed this town of twilight as he looked upon it. He had pondered as to how beautiful late evening was in Twilight Town, better than all the other sunsets. It was difficult to imagine a place where the evenings were the most famous part of the place itself. And yet, this village witnessed the rise of the sun and the moon just like anywhere else. It vaguely interested Axel just contemplating about that particular mystery shrouding Twilight Town. But, Roxas treated this evening as if it was perfectly normal. His best friend never comprehended as to why he did this.

Meanwhile, Roxas gestured with his arms the grandiose radiance of his hometown.

"I know you haven't seen it in a while, but isn't it an awesome place? I mean, there's sea-salt ice cream here, which I forgot to have you try last time."

"Yeah, well," Axel shrugged his sinewy shoulders, "maybe that flavor isn't all that appetizing anyway."

Roxas' mouth dropped open with disbelief before he cringed from the sheer horror of any sane person rejecting sea-salt ice cream.

Promptly, he spun Axel around to tell him, "I'm going to convert you one of these days. You'll see!"

Chuckling, the redhead followed his skateboarding friend two blocks, taking in the simple sights of the hamlet along the way. Quaint buildings adorned the prim, proper roads, the clock tower watched over them like a shepherd with his sheep, and streetcars that were not named desire rolled breezily by the two teenagers. Axel also took note of the children playing in five inches of snow, densely packing their handfuls of snow aka artillery. One of these crisp, cool projectiles struck his face as he walked in the midst of a fight.

"Sorry, mister!" a lisping five-year-old called out to him.

A smile tugged Axel's lips, though finally distorted into his trademark smirk that turned away adults against him. Musing, he knelt down and scooped up some of the white stuff himself. He quickly appraised it before targeting Roxas.

The blond boy leapt off his skateboard in order to dodge the snowball. He brushed off his beige jeans, proceeding to glare with irritation in his cerulean eyes.

"What the heck is wrong with you? You seem more cheery than usual!"

"So what?" Axel placidly plunged his hands into his pockets. "Those kids had fun with snowballs, didn't they?"

Sighing resignedly, Roxas trudged over to retrieve his skateboard, creating a relatively innocent image for himself. That is, until he enacted his revenge by hurling snow at an unsuspecting Axel.

This wintertime battle between the two of them started, and they behaved like little boys again. Sprightly youth caused them to burst into laughter as snowball after snowball was distributed. Eventually, their aching arms could no longer aid them in their impish fight, so they collapsed on the snow. Axel shivered and, despising his hair when damp, abruptly rose to his feet. Roxas dilly-dallied for a while.

"Come on, do you want to get cold? Besides, fire's better." Illustrating his point effectively, Axel took out his matches and rubbed one of them against the back of the box.

Alluring flames twirled in his two fingers, not even so much as searing the skin. Red-orange stood out brightly among all the dank, bleak scenery surrounding it, dancing madly in celebration. Transferring the miniscule, petite flame to a finger on his other hand, Axel ogled it with greedy, ravenous eyes. He hungered for summer then, so that the season itself could give him an excuse to enshroud himself with fire, the most powerful of elements. Ever since he was first introduced to wooden matches tipped with sulfur at age eight, Axel immersed himself in blazes and bonfires every summer. Soon, he taught himself to the point that he could perform tricks with fire that no one dared to copy. Its strength, as well as its untamed beauty, continued to captivate him to this day. Even now, as he bounced the flame with his finger carelessly, he was in complete and total love with his element. Yes, fire—the one thing that could induce him to true bliss.

Roxas shook his head fondly, bored at Axel's elemental antics at the same time. "You're such a pyromaniac, dude. Why are you so obsessed with fire?"

"I love being a pyro. And besides, fire is awesome."

"Well, come on, let's continue on to my family's house. It's only down the street."

Despite the gray slush of already thawing snow, Roxas still possessed the ability to skateboard, which mildly surprised Axel. How could anyone navigate through snow using only wheels? He found it very ponderous indeed.

As the two sped by a certain house, he stopped in his tracks. For, inside that quaint brick abode lived a captivating blonde he knew from high school. Axel attended school with Roxas in Twilight Town, even though he had escaped from his former one. Shortly after he first attended Twilight Town High School, he was introduced to Namine, who practically have him a reason to steal longing glances at somebody. Sure, they later befriended each other, but Axel was too much of an uncharacteristic coward to ask her to prom. This was the one thing that he regretted the most.

Instead of approaching her with a crafty smirk in his lips and glistening green eyes that filled to the brim with unsuppressed optimism, he held back his infatuation. After all, Axel was never fully acquainted with family love, so he realized lavishing it upon a girl like Namine seemed nearly impossible. He almost wished he couldn't deem love as infeasible to obtain. In order to distract Axel from the house of Namine Tashiro, Roxas waved a hand in front of his face to interrupt the silence.

"Hey, why the hell did you do that for?"

"Why did you cuss at me?" Roxas quickly countered.

Axel sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Roxas. I guess...I guess I really fell for Tashiro harder than I thought."

He whispered these last words under his breath; luckily, Roxas paid no heed that time. Taking one last look back at the house, Axel saw a person whom he didn't expect staring out a window.

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**A/N: Ah-ha, so Axel appears to have a leetle crush on someone. Odd how Roxas lives right across the street from her, too. XD Anyway, I know this story hasn't been doing fantastically, but I hope to get more people converted to here as time goes on. Besides, it's near Christmas, so I understand the general busy-ness of the season anyway.**

**Feel free to review, though I'm happy that I've gotten 3 reviews so far. Three, but at least these two reviewers are into the story. Huge shout-out to RawkstarVienna for reviewing when I needed reviews the most! XD Hi Kitsune also deserves to share the credit.**


	4. Fears and Insecurities

**A/N: Still keeping this story strong! In this chapter, Namine is introduced for the first time along with her cousin (it's not really hard to guess who XP). As much as I hate to admit it, this chapter is in flashback mode through most of it. Chapter five, though, gets downright intriguing. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything and am not connected with anything.**

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**Chapter 4: Fears and Insecurities**

A female redhead's penetrating indigo eyes inevitably assessed Axel, who turned his head away more rapidly than an owl's as he hunched his shoulders. This girl recognized this move: the classic shy guy concealment. Why did male specimen assume their shoulders would provide sufficient hiding when they could not truly become invisible on a whim? That only happened in the movies. She sagely nodded her head upon this recollection, observing how Axel jogged down the street with Roxas Highwind trailing after him as always.

"Hey, Namine," she told the blonde drawing pictures and lounging on the bed, "there's apparently a special guest on your street for Christmas."

Namine perked her head up, blanching instantly. "Who is it?"

"Just Axel...Naito. That's his last name, I think. Most don't remember it, though."

The familiar name spoken from her cousin's lips caught the aspiring artisan off-guard as she dropped her colored pencils, deaf to the rest of the sentence. Then, she shrieked horribly when oncoming fear struck her like a speeding car. Diving inside her closet, Namine slammed the shuttered doors closed as she cowered among her heap of clothes.

"You're just playing a trick on me, Kairi!" her muffled voice alleged her cousin.

Kairi merely rolled her eyes before abruptly opening the closet, revealing the trembling girl lying before her. "Do you think I'd ever joke about your crush coming to town?"

As she crawled from her hiding place, Namine shook her head. "No, I guess you wouldn't. Still, it's a scary thought—Axel coming here. I mean, I know he's my good friend, but"—and here, she blushed—"he's definitely beginning to mean something to me."

"Well, I would hope so. You two hung out a lot whenever Roxas was out with Olette...and still do, I might add."

After Kairi's brief recollection, Namine sighed deeply as she perched on her bed again. "The thing of it is, I'm not sure if Axel has a girlfriend. I mean, he's very charming and all...in a devilish way. He says the funniest things, he's really nice, not to mention good-looking..."

"Where are you going with all this?" Kairi interrupted.

"Axel probably has a girlfriend, and I'm just not good enough for him. We're better off friends."

Namine's favorite cousin's jaw dropped so suddenly that it was a struggle for her just to distort her lips into a prudently thin line. She could hardly imagine Namine and Axel not unite as a couple in love. All the signs were there. And the fact that Axel often became shy around the creative genius girl? That amused Kairi, for the smirking redhead hardly ever departed from his bold behavior and outgoing personality. Why he acted that way sometimes around Namine was beyond her sense of reality.

"Namine," she spoke rather stiffly, "Axel is a good guy. He's only two years older than you. Besides, I'm sure you, out of all people, know more about his character than anybody other than Roxas, who's also your best friend."

Namine smiled ruefully; Roxas had served as a friend she could converse with about any topic before Axel came along. They always ate sea-salt ice cream together and other such activities until Olette coyly asked Roxas on a date one day. After that, the miniscule events that made up a friendship slowed, only occurring on weekends. Lonely, Namine depended on Roxas' two other friends to fill the void. Sure, Demyx and Zexion were likeable boys, but they just weren't best friend material to her like Roxas.

However, when Axel started attending Twilight Town High School, two months after Olette and Roxas became a couple, everything changed. The redhead was a bedraggled ragamuffin of a freshman, no stranger to the escapee lifestyle. Fully emancipated (though not legally) from his family, he often wandered over to the middle school after meeting Roxas. Unlucky Axel had no luck befriending people his age, so he went by the nostalgic philosophy of the younger the better.

It wasn't long after his arrival at school before he proceeded to hang out with Roxas; the two were practically inseparable and found a confidante in each other. Namine, hopeful that she would gain another friend, though older, realized that she had actually started a conversation with him after school. She had never done so with any other peer; the particular person would come to her, usually. Before she was even aware of it, she and Axel became best friends when she went to high school herself.

Even though she felt this strong bond between them, only surpassed by Axel's and Roxas' also close friendship, Namine had another obstacle. This one pained her more than any other one in her life that she had had to face. It was getting over her ex-boyfriend, the only teenager who had dared to break her heart on purpose. Now, Marluxia had come off as a gentle sort last year, a sort that she had been inevitably attracted to. He had approached her at Kairi's fifteenth birthday party with a special offer in mind.

"So, darling," he had murmured affectionately, "do you want to be my girl?"

Namine had accepted unashamedly. After all, he did _seem _like a good person.

As the months passed, Marluxia sent her through a whirlwind of genuinely splendid surprises. The date in the fancy restaurant, the kiss in the rain, the lavishly expensive gifts, and, of course, the constant bouquets he arranged himself swept her off her feet.

Who knew their relationship could take such a drastic turn for the worse?

Four months into the dating, Namine had fallen into the most profound love she thought possible with Marluxia. However, she had never remotely taken into consideration that he had no real interest in her due to his refusal to grow close to her.

She had been the one to gamble her heart by informing him of her secrets, one of which was her hidden talent of sketching. And yet, he had not a care. Namine knew their relationship fell apart when that infuriating Larxene's lips landed on his one evening while she waited for him for a date. That public display of affection six yards away from where she stood scarred her for life. Despite his being two years her senior, she could have sworn that they had the chemistry that all strong couples possessed. Yet, here he was kissing another girl without him so much as concluding their relationship, the filthy, two-timing rat! Humiliated and in tears, Namine had a fight with Marluxia as well as ending the relationship the next day.

Ever since that revolting, awful event, she felt as if her entire world had shattered around her while she struggled to collect the fragments. She feared rejection above all else and fretted that male teenagers as a whole behaved like Marluxia, craftily clever and capable of stealing young girls' hearts. So what if Axel had a different side, a darker side that pleasured in bringing pain? What if the young man Namine thought she knew was really a monster? She hated even pondering that, but she remembered that she had never accused Marluxia of such malicious deeds. Staying firm that she and Axel remain friends, she preferred to keep it that way and not thoroughly open up to him.

Restlessly, Namine abandoned her bed to timidly gaze out her window, searching for spikes of scarlet hair that would compel her back into hiding.

She found none.

Sighing in relief, she finally turned to Kairi to voice her lengthy meditation, summing it up briefly. "But, Kairi, maybe...maybe he'll turn out like Marluxia. Maybe he's just using me and taking advantage of me."

"Namine, he likes you!" Kairi literally put her food down as she stamped it indignantly.

She added, "Don't you see? Every sign that could show that he cares about you is there. He even looked up toward your bedroom a while ago, only to see me. Then, he acted like he'd been caught when he tried hiding himself with his shoulders. I know that move, Namine. I had seen Sora do it before he finally asked me out."

"What makes you the love doctor?" Namine inquired bleakly, sitting down and resting her chin in her hands.

"Well, I plan to be a psychologist for one thing. And for another, I had gone out with five guys before Sora—not all at the same time by the way. Besides, just because Marluxia was a totally arrogant prick doesn't mean all guys are that way. Namine, Axel is _nice_. He may smirk a lot and look like a resident 'bad boy', but trust me, he has a good heart."

Shifting her shoulders to and fro, Namine flipped through her sketchbook to select the page on which she had started an elaborate Christmas tree. She goaded herself into picking up a forest green colored pencil for shading. It would look like the best tree ever if she could color inside the lines...

"You are going to ask Axel out this holiday season as long as I'm around!"

Crap! Namine had practically scribbled outside her precise lines once she heard Kairi's confident announcement. Frantically, she took out a regular pencil, attempting to erase her coloring faux pas. Why must her cousin ruin her formerly immaculate tree by frightening her to death?

Exasperatedly, she shut her sketchbook, angered that her carefully planned Christmas drawing was, in her eyes, inevitably ruined. This felt more and more like the onset of Armageddon to her.

"Look, I have an opportunity to help you here, thanks to my family staying with yours. And I plan on taking it, Namine. I plan on taking it."

"But, Kairi," Namine unknowingly whined, "it's impossible! I'm not good enough for him."

"Then it's time for you to look in the mirror."

Shoving her cousin to the vanity, Kairi thinned her lips crisply when she noticed Namine shutting her eyes tightly.

Moaning, Namine declared, "I'm ugly! Why else has no one asked me out yet? I mean, there must be something wrong with me. I don't have confidence."

"Now, that last sentence was the only correct one you said," Kairi beamed. "Nami, you don't need a boyfriend to know you look fabulous. That much is true. Open your eyes."

Reluctantly, the blonde cracked her ocean blue orbs open at a squint.

"Wider...come on! Hey, that's it! You're great on the outside as well as the inside."

Here came the defining moment. Namine did as Kairi instructed, finding that honestly...

She did possess beauty, however subtle it may be. Did Axel like her, though?

"I'm telling you, you don't need a boyfriend to know how good you look. You do need confidence, though, for a boyfriend."

Meticulously meditating over Kairi's words, Namine knew the truth behind them. If she desperately yearned to have Axel as her boyfriend, she had to have confidence in herself. Sure, she had proved that she had some in the past, but it would eventually fade away to the great unknown. Just the word itself, _confidence_, made her shudder. How could she obtain that sense of empowerment for longer than two weeks? Maybe Kairi could assist her in this goal, after all. She hoped for this more than anything. Determined that no one would ever hurt her like Marluxia ever again, Namine stood up from her cushioned stool with a stern resolve. No longer did the depressing feeling of worthlessness deter her. And to think, it took a wise cousin to see how self-conscious she was.

Her azure eyes aglow with contentment, Namine turned around in order to speak with a somewhat smug Kairi, who had every right to be proud.

"My confidence is back, Kai. Now, I have no idea why I was bummed out."

"Now, don't say that," Kairi replied. "Marluxia is the biggest idiot around town. If you start dating Axel after school each day after break, he'll realize what he's missing out on."

Almost on impulse, Namine hugged the ambitious redhead. "Thanks! It's no wonder you're my best friend as well as family."

"Well, you at least need a smart gal pal, and I'm your girl!"

The two girls giggled before letting go of each other from their practically sisterly embrace. Kairi herself couldn't believe her cousin was so forward as to do that, for Namine had refused to so much as touch people in even a friendly way since Marluxia. She made a private not to herself to avenge a relative's emotional abuse the next time she even glimpsed that jerk. Why he even dyed his hair pink in the first place ceased to amaze her; Kairi thought he was surely on the path to insanity.

"Let's pinky swear on something," she told Namine as she wagged her smallest finger. "Promise me that you will be confident in the future, be a changed girl, and make Marluxia regret ever using you."

"Sounds like a promise to me," Namine said simply with a rare grin on her face.

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**A/N: Well, for explanation, what happened to Namine with Marluxia is very loosely based on a true story. I had a sort of, kind of, yet not really a boyfriend (secret admirer). He didn't cheat on me or anything, though he basically ignored me after he wrote only two notes back. Yes, notes were our only source of communication. I guess you can say he kind of treated me like crap, if ignorance can be considered that.**

**ANYWAY, awkward topic, yeah. Well, anyway, review please. Chapter five's gonna be pretty random and chapter six...oh, hahahaha, prepare to be randomfied!**


	5. Meet the Highwinds Again

**A/N: Well, here we go. In which random things ensue and the video game _Rock Band _(a personal fave game of mind) is brought up.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these things mentioned.**

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**Chapter 5: Meet the Highwinds (Again)**

Roxas had to tug a dazed Axel along Evening Street with so much effort that he wondered whether he should take classes at the gym again or not. The pyromaniac kept peering over his shoulder, as if he expected a random stranger to appear on the scene any minute. He even bit his lip, regressing back to a habit he barely grew out of when he was ten years old. Even he knew something was wrong with him, for he never felt so stupid and childish before. It embarrassed him, the way the townspeople would stare at him with puzzled, disdainful expressions. Averting his gaze to his friend, Axel finally realized how much endurance Roxas used to drag him along the street.

"Sorry, man...it's just—"

"You're thinking about Namine again, aren't you?" Roxas inquired tauntingly.

Doing everything he could to conceal a (and he would usually _never _do this) faint blush spreading across his face, Axel wondered what had gotten into him. Usually, he could care less about girls due to what he thought was their superficiality. However, his second best friend Namine was so down-to-earth, shy, and yet quite intriguing. Every time Roxas went on a date with his long-time girlfriend Olette, it gave Axel the chance to converse with the artist. He liked the bond between them as well as her originality.

She contrasted drastically with all the other girls in his current high school, Twilight Town High, her timid smile cutely impressing him.

But, why did he have to fall for her? He often worried about what would become of his most important friendship, the one with Roxas. The blond boy had proved himself as a brother, though not by blood by any means. Axel refused to destroy it if they both spent too much time with girls; however, he was eighteen, so maybe he should seek a steady girlfriend. Truthfully, Namine could be the one to tame his wild, rebellious ways as a jokester who never seemed to take anything seriously. He planned to reveal his soft side—eventually, not now. Unless the girl of his dreams approached him with the almost beautiful prospect of dating, he would stay a bachelor.

With that thought in mind, the barely existing blush on his face faded away, for he wasn't a kid having silly infatuations, after all. Though, it sure as heck felt like it.

"Roxas, Namine is a friend. She probably won't be anything more than that anyway. Now, we're about two steps away from your house, right?"

"Yeah...but don't avoid the fact that Namine is a great friend and will be a better girlfriend. You can bet on that," Roxas pointed out as he skateboarded to his family's doorstep.

Awkwardly, Axel stuffed his hands in his pockets, aware that he had not even gone to the Highwind household in nearly three years. So, as Roxas knocked on the door, he sensed that he actually could become nervous. Oh well, he figured, if they still wanted him around, they would.

A man of about forty or so gave the two teens access as the door swung open. He had rumpled blond hair, clear blue eyes that both of his boys shared, and a cigarette placed perfectly in his mouth. Gray smoke streamed toward Roxas and Axel once he took it out to heave a breath before replacing it in his mouth again.

"Hey, Dad," Roxas greeted, "you remember Axel, don't you?"

"Yeah," Cid Highwind nodded in assent. "How are you? We haven't seen you in a while."

"Sorry, but I was busy with school, my job, and all that," Axel explained bluntly.

Another huff of the cigarette caused more wispy smoke to drift off in the distance. "I understand why you haven't visited, but you know that you're like family to us. So, why have you come back? Oh, don't answer that—it's near Christmas, after all."

"Actually...I got evicted today...couldn't keep up with my bills."

Nearly choking on his cigarette, Cid had to reject it before it suffocated him. "Damn! Your landlord must have been harsh, huh?"

"You can say that—he was pretty scary looking."

The conversation continued as Axel elaborated on his eviction story, how he survived through it all, and finally, Roxas' idea on residing here for Christmas. Pondering over this explanation carefully, Cid scratched his whiskery chin. Since Axel was like a third son to him, he supposed that having him over would delight the rest of the family, too.

Finally, the patriarch of the Highwind family informed Axel, "You can stay here for the holidays. Hell, you can even live here permanently if you want to."

Axel's emerald eyes brightened with renewed hope, though he dimmed this luminescence down by replying with a nonchalant, "Cool."

"Good. We love having you here. Oh, Shera!"

Walking to his side, a woman with fairly blond hair tied back in a bun greeted Axel with a demure smile. Even though she had had a tumultuous relationship with the pilot before marrying him, Shera Highwind backed the theory that bad boys could be tamed with time. Before she so much as stepped into his life, Cid used to drink frequently and smoke constantly; after, he smoked a shocking four cigarettes a day as well as dropping alcohol altogether. Shera had made him a changed, sober man.

Smiling benevolently as a mother should, she addressed Axel heartily, "Welcome back, Axel. We are so happy to have you in our home. After all, the occasional sarcastic comment entertains us."

"I'm glad to hear it. As I was telling Mr. H, I got evicted by my landlord. But, really, he looked like he could chew you up and swallow you, no questions asked."

He had achieved the laughs he had hoped for, all the while wearing his proud smirk.

"Where's Sora anyway?" he asked, looking around carefully. "I kinda miss that crazy haired kid."

Roxas seemed to recall something when his mouth dropped open. "Oh, I almost forgot! He's at Demyx's playing _Rock Band_ for five hours straight again."

"Why? Don't you two have the game?"

"Yeah, but Sora doesn't get away with it here. Dad will tell you right now."

Preparing to speak once more, Cid cleared his throat to muster up his words. "Well, to be honest with you, Axel, Sora is as tone-deaf as can be. We try not to be harsh critics."

Roxas chimed in, "Axe, the dude can't sing 'Blitzkrieg Bop'."

"That song is soooo easy! Sora can play guitar well on the game, though, right?"

"All right, I think it's time for snacks," Shera announced casually, "before all of you men rant about the game. I have to hear it enough when Demyx comes over."

The rest of the group followed her to the living room, laughing at her joke along the way. It was a decently plotted location with two comfy recliners worn from use but still intact enough to settle people of weary bones. Between the chairs, a couch stood obediently in front of the television, usually giving Cid refuge; sometimes, though, it caused grief for him when he misplaced the remote underneath the grayish-blue cushions. Despite the average furnishings for such a room, this den had an area of roughly sixty-two feet, a staggering amount to Axel. After residing in cramped quarters, he was submerged in gratitude to actually have space in which to breathe.

However, Roxas treated the family den as though he had never been struck with awe by it as he bounded atop the couch.

"Hey, watch it, boy!" Cid warned as he eased himself into his recliner. "That couch cost me five hundred dollars, which is a hell of a lot for a piece of upholstery."

"I know, but _CSI _is on!" Roxas protested vigorously, therefore winning the argument. Meanwhile, Axel wandered off to the kitchen, where Shera took a sheet of cookies out of the oven.

"I thought I smelled something good in here," he commented.

Busy, the housewife who worked as a scientist by day at the observatory on the outskirts of town merely nodded. She promptly headed to the pantry and retracted a diminutive canister of sprinkles, shaking it up for amusement. Soon, she revealed a yet-to-be opened can of vanilla frosting, her way of silently informing her guest of what was to come.

"So...Christmas cookies, huh? You know, it's weird. My family's idea of holiday treats is a week-old bag of potato chips and Nutter Butters."

Interested, Shera looked up from the cookies she had started frosting. "Your family must be crude not to mention grinch-like."

"Oh, believe me, they are." Axel coolly leaned against the wall. "Yet another reason why I ran away."

Always motherly toward anybody, she stared at him sympathetically before spreading the white, creamy frosting on the lightly browned sugar cookies, which had been shaped into trees, stars, and the like. Once finished with that task, she opened the other canister and made it appear as if holiday colored sprinkles snowed on the treats. A stray platinum blond hair escaped from her tightly wound bun; she put it back in, proceeding to finally voice her thoughts.

"Well, Axel, I believe things happen for a reason. And running away from your family was actually the best thing you could have done. It might lead you to a bright future."

"I only hope you're right," he sighed slightly, uncrossing his arms that had been folded across his chest. "Say, can I have a cookie?"

"Only if you're a good boy," Shera teased maternally.

"Sorry, I was born bad. Got it memorized?"

From the kitchen, Axel heard, "Hello! That guy so obviously killed that dude! It's enough to make me wonder why these people are considered 'professionals.' And...why is that dead person talking?"

Mother and family friend burst into laughter once they eavesdropped on Roxas' fanatic, obsessive remarks concerning his beloved television program.

Axel took matters into his own hands and yelled, "That show stopped being believable in season three!"

As she strode past him to deliver the snacks personally, Shera told him matter-of-factly, "It depends on which _CSI _you're watching. Now, _CSI: New York_, I think, is the best one. What's yours?"

"Meh...probably _Miami_. The way that guy talks is hilarious—like he needs an inhaler or something. But, that's just me."

A sudden slam of the front door announced Sora's return. The brunet triumphantly made a beeline for the kitchen, where delectable scents greeted him. For, as every resident in Twilight Town knew, Sora Highwind had a monstrous appetite. Despite all the goodies he ate every day, he always managed to stay fit and trim.

Upon glimpsing the plate of cookies his mother held, he felt his mouth water and his stomach growling hungrily with the craving for food. Spending five hours at Demyx's playing a popular music game was enough for him to possess a larger than average appetite. Sure, he ate supper over there, but it merely consisted of take-out. Why not snack on a tasty dessert to sate his hunger once more?

"Hey, Mom," Sora greeted, his ocean blue eyes still glued to the Christmas-themed sugar cookies. "So, how many of those can I have?"

"Just two," Shera laughed slightly when saying this yet ensured to inject firmness into her voice. "If I offer the whole plate to you, you'll just eat them all."

"Yeah, kid, you have an issue with overeating," Axel joked, contributing his low chuckle.

Hitherto disregarding the visitor to the Highwind home, Sora peered over Shera's shoulder to notice Axel leaning against the countertop. Surprised yet eager to see the pyro redhead, he rushed over to his friend. Who knew that Roxas invited him over for Christmas?

"Axel?!? Are you staying for Christmas?!?"

"I wish I could say that, but the evil Valentine decided to evict me," Axel replied while wearing a very wry smile. "So, actually, I had no place to crash."

"Roxas brought you here?"

"Yeah, and wow, it takes you forever to come up with the right assumption usually."

Sora pretended to be offended, crossing his arms in a mock reproachful stance. He patted Axel on the back, a sign of assurance that his friend did belong here. As a personal comrade of the Highwinds, of course his presence mattered. Roxas would never have had a best friend if not for him.

"Good thing you're here, Axel—you're like part of our family."

Though Axel smiled outwardly again, he winced on the inside; his experience with a family hardly turned out well. If anything, he deemed himself unworthy of a better life with people that served as a substitute family. The Highwinds, especially, were perfect together minus him. As far as Axel saw it, he would just get in the way of their rewarding lives that contrasted entirely with his. He had a past to contend with, one of which that often haunted him this time of year. Some family he had...those rats...

Gradually, he descended back down to reality when Shera offered him the plate of deliciously warm sugar cookies of which he took two. Unlike Sora, his appetite was perfectly average—no more, no less. Shortly following this, he settled down with the family to watch a variety of primetime shows that ranged from dramatic to comedic. A stand-up special on Comedy Central featuring a famous comedian/ventriloquist with his zany puppets entertained all of them. That served as the highlight of the night that Axel realized he actually enjoyed. But, all good things come to an end; this proved especially true when Shera told the teens, "I think it's ten now...time for you boys to be heading to bed. Except you, Axel—you're a legal adult now."

"It's good to be king of you two!" he remarked, causing Sora and Roxas to simultaneously stick their tongues out.

The twin brothers pleaded their case before their parents, protesting the injustice of what they deemed an early bedtime. Roxas, being five seconds older than Sora, felt that he should start first.

"Come on, Mom, it's break! Demyx tells me his mom lets him stay up until eleven, and the guy's seventeen!"

Sora then chimed in with, "Yeah, we're only two years younger than Axel."

Cid and Shera leaned their heads toward each other to hold a whispered private discussion. Meanwhile, Axel couldn't help but feel he was on a crime drama show, courtroom scene included. He practically saw the parents as jurors discussing the final verdict.

Finally, Cid spoke for both of them when he partially relented, "All right, you boys don't have to go to bed. But, eleven o'clock is lights out, do you hear?"

Without any replies, the three young men practically sprinted upstairs, Roxas' hand clutching Axel's arm tightly. Of course, the redhead didn't take this too kindly, since he worried about his arm popping off. It hurt so badly that he wondered what was up with his friend's rush.

"You're staying in my room, Axe. And Sora doesn't need any company!"

Ah, so this was just a "friendly" competition between the twin brothers, was it? Axel could already imagine them tearing him apart while fighting over him. In the mean time, Sora tauntingly stuck his tongue out at his brother. "I don't, because I have the gaming systems in _my _room anyway, mwahahahaha!"

"You suck!" Roxas retaliated before hissing to Axel, "I actually have a PSP in my room. It may be no Gamecube, but it's awesome! You should totally test it out some time."

"Yeah..," the redhead replied, though suddenly found that he had other things on his mind. He took the time to contemplate over them briefly while conversing with Roxas. They talked about a variety of topics from movies to sports to even books. The blond teenager had alluded especially to one particular novel that impressed him, though it was a manga. He thought that all good books in the world written these days consisted of them, and Axel assumed he was probably right in thinking that. Before both of them knew it, the digital clock that sat on top of the bureau drawer read eleven o' clock. Roxas sighed irritably before switching the lights off and going to bed.

This left Axel seemingly alone in the dark, gazing out of the window to see the white drifts of snow below. He hoped that he wouldn't be a burden to the Highwind family, despite their affection for him. If that stupid Valentine hadn't given him the boot, he would have still lived in his apartment and looked after himself. His own family had always considered him an extra mouth to feed, technically not part of the family. Axel pondered over whether he should pay for his keep while in the Highwind home or not. He felt like he just couldn't crash at a friend's house and not make it up to him somehow. Honestly, that bothered him, considering he disliked annoying people.

That implied _really _annoying people, not just for the sake of a joke.

Sighing exasperatedly, he managed to lift a tuft of stray, runaway red hair while staring restlessly at the Tashiro house and all its brick-ness. That house mocked him, teasing him with the fact that he had avoided asking Namine out—one more thing to worry about. Oh well, maybe Axel could suggest that he and Roxas should hang out with Demyx and Zexion tomorrow. He could forget about his problems completely then. Yes, that served as the best idea in the world. No family, no concerns regarding his current situation, no Namine...He wanted to forget all of these issues, right? Axel merely shook his head, doubtful that this plan he had just managed to idealize would work. It sounded desperate, but he could at least try. With these thoughts in mind, he switched on Roxas' TV while his friend slept away. He, on the other hand, wasn't so sure if he could sleep. But, luckily for him, he conked out watching a late-night talk show.

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**A/N: OK, I'm making an edit here in this A/N, just because the original seemed to lack...pizz-azz. Yeah. I forgot to mention that yes, I introduced Shera in here. I have no idea what she looks like or her personality, I just took the initiative and went off what Wikipedia told me. Wikipedia knows all!...well, not according to my school, but let's forget that. And I pretty much made Cid his FF7 self. I found his KH self to be rather watered down, and he only said, like, two lines in KH2. So yes, Cid's cigarettes have made a tremendous comeback!**

**Hm, to add more, the next chapter is filled with randomness and a (as much as I loathe to admit it) an OOC character. But, I had been running out of characters to fit the mold, and I just went with...Anyway, you'll find out tomorrow!**

**In the mean time, I would like reviews as per usual. XD**


	6. Fast Food Bites and Christmas Lights

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A/N: In which I treat you to Zexion's and Demyx's appearences and the image of eating fast food. For me, personally, it would be a yummy chicken sandwich from Burger King, but yeah.

Disclaimer: I own naught a thing, readers.

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**Chapter 6: Christmas Lights and Fast Food Bites**

"Zexion! Be careful when you're wandering about this town today...and be back by dinner! And stay away from the drug dealers and people like that!"

Irritated, Zexion turned around calmly after attempting to depart peacefully, facing his over-worried mother with a placid stare. "Mom, I'm only going three blocks to visit Demyx. I doubt I will run into drug dealers. Even if I did, I would quicken my pace."

"Oh, honey, I'm only worried about you. The real world is dangerous."

"Correction, the supposed dangerous real world you speak of is portrayed in you beloved soap operas."

Saying these rather cool parting words, he began his short walk to his best friend's house. Divorce could make people so paranoid, he thought sourly, especially in the case of his mother.

He sighed regretfully as he trudged toward Demyx's, depressed over what he had said so impatiently. Sure, he was a teenage boy, which should imply that he become a smartass at any given moment. Still, his mother had put up through so much over the past three years, what with his father leaving, filling out the divorce papers, going to court, etc. Zexion assumed that maybe he should slacken his usually sharp tongue and give her the respect she deserved. Being sarcastic regarding this certainly wasn't going to improve matters...or relations...between him and his mother. He soon forgot all his troubles when Demyx emerged from his house, grinning from ear to ear.

Peering through his untamed strands of purple-silver hair, Zexion asked apathetically, "And what has made you so cheerful, Dem?"

"I got ninety-nine percent on expert on this really hard song on _Rock Band_—on guitar!"

"Good for you. At least you woke up on the right side of the bed."

The normally irrepressible smile on Demyx's face practically fell off to make way for a very concerned expression. "Having trouble with your mom again, Zex?"

Zexion averted his cerulean eyes grumpily as he testily muttered, "You have no idea."

However, his friend perked up again, considering he could never stay too deterred. Striding closer to the shorter teen, he patted his shoulder. "It'll be all right, man. I mean, we managed to get a day-off from Wal-Mart today, Christmas is coming—the whole world is our oyster!"

Bestowing a skeptical glance to Demyx, Zexion said rather frankly, "I could never understand what that expression meant. Besides, what do we do since we don't have work?"

The blond musician abruptly beamed while quickly opening his mouth. "We—"

"Besides playing _Rock Band_."

Demyx pouted after his idea had been shot down. Great, Zexion was currently in one of _those _moods, which impelled him to utter sarcastic quips. Perhaps he did wake up on the wrong side of the bed, judging by his behavior. Only he could act like this just days away from Christmas.

Finally, another idea popped up within Demyx's overworked mind. "We could get gifts for Axel and Roxas."

Contemplating over that briefly, Zexion stoically nodded in agreement. "Why not? There isn't much else to do today."

His best friend shook his head as he crafted a snowball from the fresh snow from yesterday; it was stiff, cold, and just the perfect one due to the packing of it. He grinned again, aiming right for Zexion's head. Soon, the snowball was thrown, and the unfortunate victim turned around to glare at Demyx. Tapping one foot impatiently, he did this for roughly a minute or two. Why did people love the snow around here so much? He could never fully grasp that reason except pure childishness—in his opinion, snow just made Demyx act even more like a child.

"Must you act like you're eight instead of seventeen, Demyx?" Zexion asked in a truly miffed tone.

The thrower in question could barely hold his laughter back much longer, so he proceeded to do just that.

As he did so, Zexion created a snowball of his own, sick of the aspiring musician's infuriating tricks. It was currently nine o' clock in the morning, and he could barely sleep last night. Dealing with slight irritations such as these couldn't improve his mood now. Tired, cranky, and feeling very resentful, Zexion hurled his snowball toward Demyx's mouth, where it actually inserted. Demyx laughed with a wide open mouth, and, knowing this, he should have known better than to laugh at an extremely irked Zexion. Things could only end in disaster.

"Fy difd foo do thaft forf?" Demyx attempted asking, though the snowball messed up his voice of course. Realizing this a little too late, he resolved to chew and swallow it. Once that happened, he noted that his stomach felt like a freezer.

"Ah, coooooold!" he groaned and shivered rather helplessly while Zexion meanly chuckled.

Witnessing his friend shivering from a massive brain freeze, Zexion smirked slightly once his quiet laughter died down. "What did you expect? It's not July here, you know."

"Aw, you suck!" Demyx lamely retaliated before he espied Roxas skateboarding and Axel walking toward them. "Hey, Axe and Rox are here!"

"So much for looking for gifts then," Zexion sighed, though his smirk still remained intact.

Indeed, Axel and Roxas decided to show up to visit their two friends, for there really was nothing else to do. Cid and Shera had both left for work, and Sora wandered over to Riku's house, most likely to give him advice on how to chat up Xion. She was the new girl in town. So, completely out of other options, the two best friends merely decided to go about town.

Axel raised a hand in greeting and casually said, "What's up, Zex, Dem? Well, in case you two haven't heard, I got evicted from my apartment. So, now I'm staying at Roxas'."

"You say that so proudly," Zexion remarked, crossing his arms while giving a slightly amazed expression.

"Are you kidding? I'm actually glad to be away from Valentine."

"I can't say I blame him either," Roxas added. "That guy was creepy. Maybe it's fate that he didn't stay in the apartment for Christmas. I'm guessing it wouldn't be fun."

"And I've spent too many Christmases at my old apartment as it was," Axel mentioned, sighing as he reflected all those lonely holidays. Maybe this year would be different. Heck, it already was.

The four friends proceeded to walk aimlessly down the sidewalk to bask in their conversation that soon covered a variety of topics. Even the most recent video game was included in their lively chatter. Axel peered over at his friends, who currently joked about the prospect of a new movie that would come out in the spring. Demyx claimed that Wikipedia had told him of this apparently ridiculous film. All the while the redhead spaced out for a moment, questioning his suddenly turned around luck. It seemed so much more positive than usual, even after his eviction from his messy apartment. How did he end up so lucky to the point of having three friends to hang out with? They obviously didn't care about money, for he seriously lacked in it at the moment. Minimum wage could barely cut it.

"Hey, Axe," Demyx waved a hand in front of Axel's face, "it's eleven-thirty now. We should get something to eat."

Axel brightened considerably, ignoring all the pessimistic thoughts that had crowded his mind. Nothing sounded better than a bite to eat right now. Like Sora, he loved food like crazy...just with a smaller appetite than the brunet.

"I say we go to Burger King!" he announced.

"I second that," Roxas added.

"And I, uh, third it, I guess." Demyx grinned awkwardly, looking over at Zexion unsurely. This group of boys knew better than anyone that ever since age six, when a bully stole of those free Pokemon collectible toys, Zexion refused to eat at that fast food joint. Not even the tempting smell of the mild onion rings convinced him otherwise. But, it was near Christmas, and he felt charitable today.

In his special unenthusiastic (though secretly thrilled) way, he decided to go to Burger King, despite the ten-year long grudge against it.

"Oh, sure, why not?" he submitted, placing his hands in his pockets. "I may have suffered through that one experience as a child regarding Pokemon toys, but let's face it. I couldn't catch 'em all."

Stunned, the other three stared blankly at him, wondering if there was a glitch in his personality.

"Oh, what? The emo kid can't make a joke?" Zexion joked again, grinning rather oddly this time.

Axel laughed before punching his friend in the arm, aware that he often jokingly called him that label.

However, Demyx and Roxas glanced at each other upon witnessing the grin that kind of belonged on Zexion's face yet didn't. They inwardly debated with themselves about it until Roxas made a weird comment that averted the others' attention to him.

"You know, if we were in an anime, we (except Zexion, of course) would all have sweat drops running down our heads. Shwoooop!"

Receiving odd glances from his friends, he chuckled at their various expressions until Demyx whacked him on the head for producing the sound effect of sweat. Sharply, Zexion informed him about the illogic concerning what sound sweat made. And typical Axel only laughed it off while guiding his friend toward Burger King, where "no one will be crazy...I hope." After they paid for their orders inside the building, they waited for the food and talked some more.

During their conversation that discussed which action/adventure anime was better between _Gundam Wing _and _Code Geass_, the opening of the front door interrupted its flow. So far, _Gundam Wing _was winning the debate, which Axel forgot once he noticed who walked inside. Kairi purposefully strode toward the counter, with Namine following close behind. After their orders, they merely talked about their plans for that afternoon. Unfortunately, Axel developed paranoia and assumed they were gossiping about him or something girly. In the mean time, he and the rest of his group got their orders, preparing to sit down. Numbly, the redhead seated himself last.

"How come I hear 90's Celine Dion power ballads every time I see _her_?" he asked, of course referring to his blond infatuation. His friends gazed at him amusedly, especially Roxas.

Zexion and Demyx barely knew who the "her" was in Axel's question until they noticed Namine staring shyly at Axel. The two boys looked at each other with huge smirks on their faces.

"I'm guessing it's because you like Celine Dion music, Axe," Demyx replied, pretending to act stupid. "A metrosexual thing? Yes, but there's no shame in that. I listen to Mariah Carey music."

"It's not because I listen to slow songs, Dem!" the irritated pyro shouted before adding in a hiss, "It's because I have a crush on Namine Tashiro. There, I said it."

Eating his bacon cheeseburger moodily, he looked up at the ceiling to study it for two minutes straight. Meanwhile, Zexion pursued the subject while nibbling on his onion rings.

"Aren't you rather old to be having infatuations, Axel?" he asked, his way of teasing him, as sadistic as that sounded. Axel averted his eyes away from the ceiling to scowl at him. Leave it to know-it-all Zexion to state the obvious. Didn't he realize how much this bothered him? He knew that he should have asked Namine out on a date ages ago instead of seemingly lead her on like he did. The love game, as some people preferred to consider it, had never been his thing. If love was a game show like, say, _Jeopardy_, he would miss the final round due to thousands of dollars in the hole. Honestly, he figured that he had screwed up his chances with Namine that badly.

"I am aware of that, Zexion," he shot back at his friend heatedly. "But, I've never felt that way about any other girl—at least, not in the same way I feel about her. Got it?"

"Whoa, Axel, a little too much hostility!" Roxas warned between bites of his crown-shaped chicken tenders.

Axel heaved a restless sigh and stared at Zexion apologetically due to his guilt over his words. It seemed if anyone reacted like that to his confession of him having a crush, he quickly became defensive. Emotions were meant to be personal for a reason, he figured.

"Sorry, Zex. No hard feelings?"

The kid in question shrugged. "I suppose not. After all, I've known you for about three years now. I have learned to anticipate your sporadic fits of temper."

"Did the dictionary teach you how to talk like that?" Roxas asked cynically as he slurped his Coke.

Zexion only shook his head and returned to eating. Demyx decided to propose an idea at that moment.

"Hey, guys, _Elf _is supposed to play at the theater in half an hour. We should definitely go."

Their mouths dropping open out of shock (in a good way), the other three friends looked at each other with amazement in their eyes. They all loved that Christmas movie, which they thought beat _Miracle on 34__th__ Street _or the primetime claymation specials any day of the week. Just thinking about its hilarity brought grins to their faces.

"Oh my God, I love that movie!" Roxas shouted, accidentally knocking his half-full Coke over.

"So hilarious! That part with the raccoon was awesome!" Axel agreed.

"No, the parts at the mall were even better," Zexion stated smoothly, though struggled to stifle his excitement. With no further ado, all four boys threw their trash away and raced out of the restaurant as quickly as possible.

Once they bought their tickets, they settled into one of the middle rows, avidly watching the trailers that they critiqued both positively and harshly. The premiere of the afternoon matinee soon showed onto the big screen, the opening credits rolling. Nostalgia prevailed throughout the film's showing as the boys discussed their favorite parts. At one point, all of them laughed so hard that the other viewers shushed them many times. But, they didn't care how many people they ticked off. All that mattered was this awesome Christmas movie that they afterwards vowed to watch through college. When the end credits rolled, Demyx clapped and cheered the loudest, being the easily excited teen he was.

"Will Ferrell rocks!" he yelled, much to the irritation of one elderly man.

Because of this, all of them had to escape the theater quickly if they valued their precious lives.

Roxas decided that as a special treat, he would warmly invite his friends (excluding Axel, of course) to spend time at his house to play video games. Namely, he mentioned taking turns at playing one of the _Legend of Zelda _games for Sora's Gamecube. For, really, his basic philosophy was what his brother didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Besides, this guys' day out had gone well overall today without any signs of major incident. This thought jinxed him by the time he and his friends actually arrived at the Highwind house, which he admitted to himself looked like an explosion of iridescent Christmas lights. They covered the front porch rails, the sills of the windows, and just about everywhere that strings of colored bulbs could coil around. Demyx, who lead their little pack, stopped suddenly and caused the others to crash into him. Toppling down to the snow, they created an awkward situation.

The musician perpetrator stood to his feet first, brushing off the white snow from his shoulders while the three other boys did the same. Glaring simultaneously at Demyx, they snorted huffily and proceeded to ask him irritated questions that came out all at once.

"Guys, did you see those lights?" he countered testily, pointing to Roxas' overly decorated house. Once they glanced over the way his finger pointed, they shook their heads in disbelief.

"What....the heck...is up with your house, man?" Axel asked haltingly, wondering if this was for real.

"I must say that your family is feeling very festive this year, Roxas," Zexion commented, his blue eyes wide.

"Oh God, not again," the blond moaned, aware what these many lights implied.

His dreaded guesses came true for sure as he and his friends wandered over to the porch to investigate just exactly what happened. Cid emerged from the front door, carrying more strands of bulbs, though Roxas was unsure if there was anything else to decorate.

"Dad, is this what I think it is?" he inquired, fearing the most humiliating response.

"Yep, boys, it's the annual Christmas decoration contest in the neighborhood. And, after last year, I intend to win my rightful title back. I can't lose again to..._him_."

"Who's him?" Demyx asked, curious as to who the despicable neighbor was.

Cid's oceanic eyes narrowed out of disdain from merely thinking about his neighbor. "His name, Demyx, is Leon Leonheart. It disgusts me that that lowlife won last year. And took my title away."

Roxas sighed, thoroughly embarrassed at this point from his father's overreaction to this contest.

Even his own faithful best friend seemed to try too hard to stifle his laughter. Fed up with feeling like he should turn invisible, he punched Axel in the arm to teach him a lesson. Zexion, in the mean time, could hardly help his curiosity concerning the neighbor.

"What is this Leon like, Roxas?" His inquisitive eyes bored into Roxas' skull.

"He's a bachelor who parties a lot when he's not working. He hates us, I swear, and we don't like him that much either. That's why Dad like to compete with him."

Irony occurred just then when Leon Leonheart himself cockily strode outside, acting as though he desired to challenge Cid. In a way, he did, with clever fighting words.

"Are you ready to lose to me this Christmas, old man?!?" he shouted from across the street.

Snarling to the point that his fierce bottom teeth showed, Cid resisted to cracking his knuckles in a threatening manner. Desperately, he wished that irksome twenty-something would do him a courtesy and move. Shera would be pleased with that as well as his twin sons and himself. Clearing his throat, he prepared to yell daringly back.

"I will get my title back, you—!"

After hearing a string of filthy curse words that even made Axel blush, the brunet man proudly standing there retreated to his house. Five minutes later, he returned to the twilit winter afternoon outside while toting a life-size snowman. He athletically managed to ascend to the roof.

Another ten minutes passed, and Leon's plastic snowman glowed vibrantly against the fading brightness of the sky. Concerned for Mr. Highwind, the boys stared worriedly at him. Now that they heard the background story of this, they sincerely hoped that he would triumph over his exasperating neighbor.

"You're gonna lose, dude! Wooooot!" Leon currently cheered, launching rocker fingers into the air. Roxas and his friends stared at Cid again to signal to him to state a great comeback.

"That's nothing, Leonheart! I'm going to have so many decorations that you will be eating my dust! I'll get help from my family and friends, and I'll win this thing!"

"Go Dad!" Roxas rooted along with Axel, followed by Demyx and Zexion.

Cid patted the boys on the backs heartily as Leon shook his head before returning to his house.

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**A/N: OK, with Zexion, I'm not trying to make light of divorce here. That isn't the thing. I sort of got inspired from those cult 80's films that have that underlying cynicism about them. That's why I decided that one of the character's parents would be divorced, and I decided to make Zexion the guy. I also had him make fun of his alleged "emoness", since I think it's a little out there to even portray him in that light. He's simply a misunderstood genius, no more, no less.**

**Right, as for Leon--as much as it felt weird to make him the obnoxious rocker neighbor dude--I thought it was pretty funny myself. You would NEVER suspect him to be that random in the games.**

**By the way, Elf is one of the most awesome X-mas movies ever. Just saying. XD**


	7. Goodbye to You, Marluxia!

**A/N: When I first thought of the title for this chapter, I thought that it sounded a bit like an AMV title. Then, I was like, "what the heck?" So, I present you with the epic confrontation chapter, dun-dun-dun! XD The song (which I do not own by the way) for the title is actually "Goodbye to You" from Scandal. It's an 80's song...but that's how varied my music taste is. Speaking of which, songs I also do not own are referenced. These are songs that I happen to adore...but not English version "Numa, Numa". I absolutely detest that version.**

**Disclaimer: As mentioned above, I don't own the songs nor the game and its characters.**

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**Chapter 7: Goodbye to You, Marluxia!**

At the Tashiro house, all of Namine's relatives set up Christmas decorations outside for the big neighborhood contest. She could care less about it, though, considering her thoughts were somewhere else. Two days had passed since she espied Axel at the local Burger King with the friends he usually hung out with at school. At one point, her blue eyes met his unbelievably emerald ones, and it took her breath away. He was so perfect in every way possible for a guy to be—he _had _to be taken. Good things rarely came to her life, so why should this instance differ from all the others? Look what happened with her and Marluxia, she told herself. It seemed like a dream when it first started out, only to turn to dust before her eyes. Well, whatever, she would forget crushing on Axel. She had more important things to accomplish like...like...listening to music while drawing. Yeah, that was exactly it.

As she started to draw a holiday-themed angel, she put the ear buds of her ipod in her ears and listened to whatever song played. Unfortunately, for her, it was "Standing Still" by Jewel. Crap, that was the one song that acutely reminded her of Axel! Yes, now the goofball, handsome, and pyro redhead possessed full rein of her thoughts. Way to go, ipod, way to go. Nonetheless, this endearing ballad would pass, since she did have a Christmas angel to sketch. Luckily, this sudden work of art occupied her mind instead of a certain attractive distraction. The song that played next was "Numa, Numa", a completely random one since she placed the ipod on shuffle. This fact relieved her, to say the least.

Kairi entered her room just then, completely interrupting Namine, who switched her music device off.

"How come you haven't helped out with making your house look awesome for the contest?" her cousin asked, firmly placing her hands on her hips and glaring reproachfully at the blonde perched on her bed. Namine coolly adjusted her ponytail as she replied cynically, "I don't have your proactive spirit to get up and do things, Kai. You're the cheerleader, I'm the misunderstood creative genius. Now, can you get out of my room?!? I was listening to the freaking 'Numa, Numa' song!"

Shaking her head pitifully, Kairi dragged Namine off the bed. "I take it you're in a bad mood. Christmas shopping must be done, you know. Let's go."

"Oh, you can't be ser—"

"Now!" the feisty redheaded girl shouted as she pointed the way out the door.

They walked all the way to the mall, Namine grumbling under her breath the whole time. On her days off, she avoided going out in public since her break-up with Marluxia. Cowardly, she knew, but what could she do? She always feared bumping into him at some random place, and an argument would erupt like a volcano. Then again, after Kairi gave her the confidence lecture, she realized that the worst would not happen if she encountered her ex. She might as well cheerily confront him, pretending that she moved on by dating a different guy. If Larxene happened to be there with that slimeball (fairly possible, considering she never left his side), Namine planned to gloat regarding this imaginary boy, lauding him on his personality traits. Hopefully, that would get Marluxia off her perturbed mind for good. His lying ways would catch up with him some day soon.

She and Kairi entered the vast mall currently filled with a horde of active shoppers selecting gifts for their friends and relatives. The two girls proceeded to do the same exact thing, going through shops to pick and choose. At one point, while they peered through CD collections, Namine noticed the most recent album from Axel's favorite rock band. Her eyes glittering like iridescent gems, she grabbed the CD without a second thought.

"Axel loves this band! I'm sure he'll like it," she gushed to Kairi, who picked up a CD before shaking her auburn head as she placed it back in its niche.

Pondering out loud, she murmured, "Well, Namine, don't you think you should give him something more personal?"

The exuberant light snuffed out in her oceanic orbs, Namine sighed, for she knew that her cousin had an excellent point as usual. She did plan on drawing a heart engulfed in bright orange flames that represented her passion for him. However, she thought that artistic idea too cliché, even with Axel's love of fire as her muse. Really, he might scoff at her for all her trouble, which would hurt her greatly. Why should she even consider that image when he more than tolerated her as one of his most intimate friends? Stupid inferiority complex, always haunting her all the time! A perfect scowl formed on Namine's lips upon the random thoughts that kept repeating themselves in her mind. She reluctantly wandered over to the rock section of the music store to stand besides Kairi, who said absentmindedly, "Riku likes Theory of a Deadman, right?"

"Nope," the blonde responded promptly. "He said he got tired of that band last month."

Incredulously, her cousin stared at her while attempting to keep her mouth shut since it threatened to gape open out of disbelief. "You serious? Crap! Riku's always never loyal to one band, is he? Does he go by band of the month or something?"

Namine smirked, a playful laugh emerging from her mouth. "He actually told me a couple of weeks ago that he does. Don't get too ticked off, Kai. We both know how restless Riku gets."

"As fickle as the breeze, I swear."

Both girls shook their heads fondly at their friend due to his hopeless plight of ever changing favorite bands. Good thing he wasn't that way with girls. As they walked out of the store, Kairi carrying a Papa Roach CD for Riku, a snippet of certain dyed pink hair caught Namine's eye.

Her heart nearly stopped beating at that moment upon recognition of the boy who almost single-handedly ruined her life. Or so it seemed. Horrible events magnified tenfold when they happened to you usually. She definitely felt this way as well as a longing to hide when she glimpsed that loose blonde Larxene sidling alongside the ex from her nightmares. Gulping nervously, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her sky-blue hoodie, watching him move with that same elegance, that same grace as before. The memories returned in an overwhelming rush that tackled her emotions, which buckled under this metaphorical pressure. Then, the anger came. Namine hated him so much for what he did that she forgot the proper decorum required in public.

"Hey, coward, remember me?!?" she shouted, her voice ringing toward the food court, the general direction in which that revolting couple walked to. There, he noticed her, for his still pretty yet deceiving sapphire eyes met hers. At first, confusion clouded them before a scorching glare darkened them. Telling his stupid girlfriend to stay as though she was no more than a dog, he strode angrily toward her. So much for no hard feelings, ha!

"What the hell are you doing here, brat?" he asked testily.

Namine beamed in a façade of ignorant bliss. "I could ask you the same thing. Aren't I allowed to shop?"

Through her partition of blond hair, she could see Kairi give her a thumbs-up. She inwardly cheered, her previous fears alleviating. For once, she was winning! She gained the upper hand in this conversation tinged with the very essence of hatred. That would show him. Score one for the home team.

Marluxia gritted his teeth out of sheer irritation, frustrated that a mere sophomore girl should speak this way toward him. He never even remotely liked that girlish brat anyway simply due to her age and dreamy mannerisms. How they sickened him! Any sane young man would have dumped her in that exact, same situation. At least Larxene proved to be so fawning over him that he enjoyed the self-esteem boost. Still, though Namine committed absolute treason through her words, he knew one thing that could silence her. The most sadistic, demented smirk ever devised played on his errant lips. When his ex-girlfriend saw this, she wore a very confused expression. To clarify things for that silly little girl, he inquired mockingly, "Have you found yourself a boyfriend yet, Namine?"

He would surely claim victory if she answered truthfully, laugh at her disdainfully. Her pride could hardly afford it, much less help her to idealize a clever retort.

But, unbeknownst to him, he was totally wrong on that account as Namine thought over what lie to fabricate. She refused to let loose with the truth in order to see him smug and conceited over an honest response. Crafting her lie, she sighed plaintively to give off a falsely miserable façade. Marluxia, for all of his so-called, refined intelligence, actually bought the act due to his smirk widening. So he thought he had her cornered, eh? Now was the chance to strike, for she created her perfect lie. Ex-boyfriend, prepare to be amazed.

"I'm going out with Axel Naito now, for your information!" she declared in a slightly increased volume, placing her hands on her hips defiantly. A smirk found its way onto her pouting pink lips.

Shocked, Marluxia raised an eyebrow, which practically shot up to disappear under his fluffy rose colored bangs. He must have supposed that a sometimes sly, barely sixteen-year-old girl could get a date. Technically, she hadn't, but she would not allow him to find out and see through her lie. Just as she figured she had caught him off-guard, he sneered complacently again. Beside him, Larxene giggled annoyingly, though she probably failed to grasp the joke. Stupid blondes and all that—at least, she seemed exceedingly idiotic compared to Namine. After all, Larxene was often reputed to throw herself at guys who usually turned out to be players. The girl had no class, everyone knew it, except Marluxia apparently.

In fact, he replied what he considered wittily, "I doubt it will last. You're _nothing _without me."

Yeah right, all sadistic ex-boyfriends loved to say stuff like that.

Namine publicly displayed her disbelief from his words by shaking her blond head while still maintaining her gracious smile. She would keep up that careless beaming to prove to Marluxia that yes, she could move on. True, she avoided asking Axel out yet, but she about had to now. If her ex discovered her walking down the school halls alone after Christmas break, he would expose her for the fraud she was. And she didn't need any more humiliation. She suffered enough from him.

Rocking back on her heels, she serenely murmured to him, "Oh, but we're really happy together. If you remember, I was friends with Axel long before this. So, I'm thinking we'll last for years."

He narrowed his royal blue eyes disdainfully. "What makes you so confident about that happening?"

She just breezily laughed, disregarding his question laced with the sharpest venom possible.

Meanwhile, Larxene decided to intervene in the quickly heated two person conversation by stepping between them. Deliberately, she tapped one of her feet shod in an Ugg boot, Ugg clearly standing for ugly. Only the truly idiotic adored those boots in her opinion. Then again, Larxene excelled in the field of idiocy, wearing her overly tight clothing to back that theory.

"I must say, I didn't think Axel was the committed type. You must really have done some serious convincing, child," she said sweetly though at the same time bitingly.

Namine waved a dismissive hand, allowing another stream of giggles to slip from her. "Believe me, it was a struggle! But, you know, you two deserve each other, too!"

A series of cutting remarks threatened to be spoken aloud on her part, and she desired to shout them so everyone in the vicinity could hear. Instead of yelling immaturely, though, she settled on resuming in her cheery, sanguine tone. This little bit of revenge would go far, especially since she had buttered up the couple. From her last comment, they stared at her arrogantly while they cuddled closely together to demonstrate their "happiness." Well, here came her shining moment.

"Yes," she paced around them, "you guys make a great couple. But, Marluxia, the last time I saw you at school, you were eyeing Yuffie Kisaragi's ass. As for you, Blonde Ambition, you've been known to shirk from commitment. So, Marluxia, you're a restless player. And Larxene...oh, what to say about you? For starters, you're flat-chested, so you stuff your bra. Yep, I know it. Quit looking so surprised. And you're terrible without make-up. Have a nice day, you lovely couple you."

Namine cutely waved goodbye at the baffled couple, who bestowed to each other shocked, accusatory glances. She had definitely left an impression on them, which had been the original game plan anyway. She had won by a landslide, and she couldn't be more proud of herself. Kairi heartily expressed the same sentiments by giving her cousin a high-five, looking like she could barely contain herself. For good measure, she patted her on the shoulder.

"I'm so proud of you, Namine! You really showed him and his poor, ugly excuse for a girlfriend. This is seriously the first step to increased confidence."

Namine removed an obstructing strand of hair. "Well, they both had to coming to say the least."

The two cousins basked in contentment that this was a landmark occasion: the bold, carried with a smile confrontation.

Nonetheless, Kairi's grin faded upon the recollection of that very carried out lie that her blond cousin as well as friend told. The artist girl had yet to ask out Axel, and there could be a chance (though two percent probability of it happening) he would reject her. Then what? That glorious display of her standing up for herself in the sauciest manner would have amounted to nothing, absolutely nothing. Marluxia would resort to waging psychological warfare on her for the truthful things she said. As for Larxene, who knew what she could do? As classless as she as, she possessed the best support system around consisting of her posse of tough female friends. Almost as though she read Kairi's mind, Namine's soft smile vanished as well.

It was the redhead, though, who spoke first regarding their shared thoughts. "Sure, sure, congrats on learning to be the gutsy side of you. But, you _have _to make your lie come true. You know that, right?"

Reluctantly, Namine nodded and felt much smaller than she had been in front of her ex and his girlfriend. "Yeah. Problem is, what if Axel doesn't like me in that way?"

"Only one way to find out," Kairi answered sagely with a knowing smile. "You have to ask him out some time this break. And if he doesn't like you like that, then he doesn't deserve you...as a girlfriend anyway. You guys are great as friends."

"Yeah, that's the hard part," Namine murmured, truly aware of what she herself implied, which was the attempt to have her and Axel go above and beyond friendship.

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**A/N: Right. For some reason, in this chapter, I wanted to make Namine a bit of a smart-aleck. I just thought that making Marluxia doubt his current, ah, "relationship" with Larxene and vice versa would be hilarious. It's going to certainly make those two second guess themselves...**

**Anyway, even if you don't like the movie Elf (as referenced yesterday), please review anyway! My break has started already, so I am officially pumped for the holiday season...as well as watching Christmas Story just to see the kid's tongue on that pole. THAT is Christmas, my friends! XD**


	8. Demyx and Zexion's Excellent Christmas

**A/N: Hello, everybody! We are officially on the countdown to Christmas Day itself, just six days away. I'm personally happy for it, because maybe I'll get The Phantom of the Opera on DVD. I'm so psyched this year! I've been listening to Christmas music at least once a day. ANYWAY, if you thought the chapters before were random, oh, this one beats them all. Not only did I inadvertantly give Zexion the best lines, mall cops are involved...and so are Segways, bullies, and all sorts of random stuff. Read more to find out what exactly I speak of.**

**Disclaimer: I own no major corporations, TV shows, movies, or anything of that nature. I'm a writer not a mogul.**

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**Chapter 8: Demyx and Zexion's Excellent Christmas Adventure**

"It's official," Zexion proclaimed bitterly, wrinkling his nose at a bag of Sun Chips he had to stock on an empty shelf. "We have sold our souls to Wal-Mart."

Chuckling at the dark remark, Demyx walked over to the aisle that his friend crouched in to try to provide some cheerful rebuttal. It was almost as though he disregarded the cynicism and made the best of things. This exemplified why they contrasted in a positive way.

"Well, look at it this way, Zex. It's only three more hours, and we're out of here. In the mean time...are you up for playing that sample video game over at electronics?"

Flatly, Zexion pointed out, "We'll get caught, and I can't afford to get fired right now. Besides, those who hang out at that oversized machine are hyperactive little kids and pale geeks."

This simply caused Demyx to laugh harder, aware of the irony of that statement. He quickly darted to the aisle nearby to place boxes of Cheeze-Its on the shelves so as to look like he was working. After all, the manager who oversaw the activities around the store from time to time was an overbearingly strict man. He had zero tolerance for anything that he noticed not involving working. He was also known to fire clerks right in front of waiting customers. Since Demyx couldn't risk that happening to him, he pretended to do his job before returning to his brooding best friend.

"Last time I checked, you are one of those 'pale geeks' with a 4.0 average to add to that resume."

He added as he assisted with putting the chip bags on the shelves, "So, I'm guessing you sold your soul to both Wal-Mart and the school. Just remember to keep some of it for yourself."

Even though he assumed this came off as a joke, Zexion stood to his feet while coolly smoothing down the blue trademark vest of the store. "I prefer to forget about those painful facts, but it's a good start to bring them up like that, you moron!"

"Ooooh," Demyx raised his hands defensively, "there's no need to snap like that, dude. What's up?"

"A weekend with Father Knows Best—that's what's up," Zexion countered sarcastically, stealing a coupon from one of the mechanisms. "He thinks he's vegan now, so he has all this organic crap around his house. Yesterday, he even had me sample one of his recipes: tofu topped with guacamole with a side of slow cooked spinach. Nasty stuff...I'm starting to see why Mom broke up with him."

Thinking that Zexion thought too extremely in his reasoning, Demyx shook his head while laughing yet again. "Don't go that far. Your dad's just creative, that's all. It's not a crime or anything."

Zexion replied sourly, "It's a crime to me: a crime of embarrassment to a child, namely me."

"Oh, quit acting so melodramatic about it. Let's just finish our shift."

And the teen with the strangely colored hair resigned to that piece of advice by continuing stocking random foods and, at one point, bathroom supplies. Once it was one o' clock, though, the manager generously set them free. The two boys proceeded to execute their dutiful Christmas shopping for their friends and family at the mall, the exact one that Namine and Kairi went to the other day.

Of course, the two boys had no awareness of the girls ever being there, and they wandered from section to section to buy the gifts. Nothing much else happened, which quickly bored Demyx as they stopped at the books section. On the other hand, Zexion fingered through some of the pages of these volumes, looking painstakingly through them. Upon noticing a heavy fantasy book, his eyes dilated out of excitement. Dully, Demyx yawned while leaning against one of the cheap shelves. "Come on, dude, I don't feel like reading."

"No, you just prefer to play _Rock Band _all day," Zexion retaliated stoically, glaring at him. "But, I suppose you want to do something that's on one of those 'what to do in Wal-Mart' lists."

Aqua eyes looking at him with a previously bored glaze brightened. "Now you're talking my language."

While Zexion groaned loudly to himself, Demyx dragged him to the escalators, which they ascended to rush toward the electronics section. Televisions of all sizes blared very audible channels with shelves of video games and DVDs surrounding them. People peered through the items, considering which ones to purchase for the holiday season. However, the aspiring musician had something completely different in mind that he thought amusing. TVs in front of him inspired him to execute his next action.

"Wait here," he ordered of his friend before walking fast to a store next to this one. Luckily for the musician, it was a furniture section where he pulled out two recliners. Upon seeing these leather armchairs, Zexion nearly stumbled from a combination of disbelief and shock.

"Are you out of your mind, Demyx? We will surely get caught by security."

Demyx rolled his eyes as he grabbed a remote that rested on top of one of the TVs.

As he examined the various buttons on the device, he said off-handedly, "Come on, it's like number forty-five on those Internet lists or something like that. What's your favorite channel?"

"Um...," Zexion muttered awkwardly, "I guess Cartoon Network is cool occasionally."

Demyx boldly switched the political discussions on a channel with 24/7 news broadcasts, leaning back against the chair. He used the lever on it to put up the foot rest once he switched channels. Sure enough, an esteemed show that both boys liked played.

"_Teen Titans_, cool! I haven't seen this show in forever," Demyx exclaimed before adding in a questioning tone, "Should I get potato chips from the food section of the mall?"

"Don't push your luck," Zexion warned in an extremely low, threatening voice.

Unfortunately, it was already too late by the time disgruntled, very rotund mall cops showed up and lazily rode on their Segways toward the troublemaking boys. Demyx suppressed the urge to laugh at this comical image, whereas his shorter friend paled eight shades. Their impending doom was coming in the form of security guards ready to enforce justice within the mall. To him, that was a chilling thought, for he worried that they would ban him for life. His older brother Yazoo managed to do that once by breaking and entering with the aid of his pathetic friends. Sure, that crime amounted to a ridiculous extent, but he could just as easily as wind up the same way, too. His mother would ground him to eternity while his dad would come over with cabbage noodle casserole...

Half-enraged that he would get busted for something as trivial as watching television in a simple mall, he hissed reproachfully, "Now look where we're getting at, Dem: trouble with the law!"

"Yeah, mall law," Demyx snickered, which happened to rouse the attention of the mall cops.

"Hey, you two aren't supposed to do that!" one of them shouted, sweat seeming to drip off his voice. Immediately, the two teenagers leapt off their recliners, abandoning the TV to show the Teen Titans engaged in battle with, ironically enough, Control Freak. Funny, how programs could read the mind like that. Aside from this tidbit, the security men focused on their rightful duties, determined to try their hardest to catch these miscreant boys. They would do the unthinkable.

Courageously, they sped up their Segways to an astonishing three miles per hour.

Stupidly and with the truest display of incompetence, the men had miscalculated the speed of the teens.

Meanwhile, during mid-flight from the slowly moving police, Zexion managed to stumble to a complete stop. How could they possibly forget what they came here for? He felt embarrassed.

"What about the presents?"

"What—oh!" Demyx groaned, hitting himself in the forehead. "Well, go get them."

Cursing meanly under his breath, the gray-purplish haired teenager turned around to rescue the gifts. Skillfully, like a major league baseball player, he slid past the mall cops who went in the opposite direction. Saving the bags just in the nick of time, he darted past them again as they awkwardly turned their cumbersome Segways around. To the check-out aisle the two boys proceeded, though Demyx rubbed it in by walking slowly yet faster than the cops.

Relieved, the friends escaped the mall without receiving a single citation from the frustrated security guards with their slow "vehicles" as their mobility. They toted their shopping bags along, which they would conceal in their respective houses until big Christmas Day arrived. Tiny snowflakes scattered down upon them, though they didn't fall enthusiastically, only languidly and haphazardly.

"Yeesh, I actually thought we'd get caught that time, didn't you, Zex? I think your negativity about the whole situation got to me."

Zexion rolled his iridescently colored eyes. "Oh, shut up!"

As they peacefully walked steadily closer toward the suburbs portion of the city, they gradually placed their skateboards on the sidewalk to get home in a faster way. Expertly, they balanced the bags since they were used to carrying homework and other things while boarding. Not only that, but the activity provided them with an ideal chance to escape, to relax and enjoy the adrenaline rush. Nothing felt so good to them apart from this sensational thrill. Unfortunately, a few bullies from their high school decided to stride out of a darkened alley to block their way. This caused Demyx and Zexion to stop their boarding and place their bags down, off to the side.

The head bully confronted them first. "Well, look who it is? It's Stinky and the Brain!"

"How long did it take you to come up with that one?" Zexion asked flatly, deadpan regarding the whole situation. Who cared what these idiots thought?

Seifer snorted disdainfully, pushing the resident smart boy aside to approach the shopping bags. He towered over them and appeared as though he wanted to peer inside them. Free merchandise, he assumed, Christmas just came early this year. What an awesome surprise! Demyx, the more aggressive one of the two, shoved the beanie capped hoodlum practically to the ground.

"Dirty," Fuu accused, true to her customary one word name calls. She was only the female back-up of the trio, whereas Rai was the more obnoxious blabbermouth. In fact, he joined in with the defense of his leader, "Hey, y'know that really was low, man!"

"Let's skip to the part where I punch you chummy chum-chum in the face!" Demyx confidently declared and ensured to add a clever grin.

Not one to bluff, he lifted Seifer slightly by the collar, proceeding to deliver a massive blow to the jaw. Incensed, the bully pounced upon the musician, causing a full-out brawl.

"No one kicks me around and gets away with it, you moron!"

In the mean time, Zexion retrieved his gifts and sped off, though called out to his friend as he boarded, "Hurry up! These simple minded poser gangsters aren't worth it!"

Demyx beamed upon his quick victory that occurred once Seifer dizzily collapsed, following his pal's suit by saving his own gifts. Though Fuu and Rai made a valiant attempt to catch him, it was all in vain. The two boys eluded yet another scrape.

By the time Demyx managed to catch up with Zexion's speed, he mentioned, "Man, we don't even face this crap on a daily basis. Heh, as they like to say, tis the season!"

"Tis the season indeed," Zexion sighed wearily, wondering when this long day would end. After all, he figured, they had endured enough with a Wal-Mart shift, close call at the mall, and the bullies of course. It's always the bullies who kept pestering them. Why must Demyx have to easily pick fights with other people? Otherwise, this day would have gone by devoid of any major events. Then again, maybe it didn't hurt to have a random person such as his best friend bring some spice into a boring city. Zexion inwardly confessed to himself that he himself was a rather uptight individual at times. And he guessed he did have fun.

"All in all, I suppose the events of today did not ruin it. I admit it," he admitted aloud.

Demyx gave him a bragging smirk that displayed how accurately he predicted he would say that. Normally, Zexion eventually spilled his true opinion in the end instead of keeping up his lie. It was almost as though he knew he would he exposed, so that he would always have to end up abandoning his precious pride. Demyx thought he used his pride as a shield too much.

"I figured you would say that, Zex. You need a little more excitement in your life, which is mostly boring. Seriously, do you have a life?"

Reproachfully, Zexion glowered darkly at his friend. "You know, it was difficult for me to say that my day wasn't a total disaster. Don't push your luck by asking me that, or I will be forced to become violent."

Demyx jokingly pretended he was scared by this comment, though pursued the topic no further.

Together, they boarded toward Demyx's house, where they had planned to crash for the rest of the afternoon as well as to pig out on various snacks. Once at that destination, they wearily trudged inside the respectable looking house, tired from their painfully long day. About to hide the presents in one of the many closets, Demyx's little sister (a year younger than him) Selphie interrupted them by abruptly shouting, "Hi! What's up, you two?"

Zexion stumbled slightly out of surprise, toppling ungracefully onto the floor. His friend did the same thing, but he had learned to deal with his sister's annoyances.

"Selphie," he groaned, "we had a tiring day at work! Don't bother us, especially not Zexion."

Selphie, the sly dark blonde, had flirted constantly with the purplish-gray haired teen for three years now. Zexion had yet to decide if he wanted to return her cute albeit crazy affections or not. What other girl would take him, after all? Still, she could be totally insincere in her flirting style. He had been the victim of such crimes of false love before, no thanks to sadistic girls. If he remembered correctly, Larxene was one of them.

Turning toward Demyx, he asked, "Should we watch _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles _now, Dem?"

"Of course, buddy. And Selphie, you're not watching it!"

Wearing an obviously disappointed expression, Selphie opened her mouth to protest. "But—"

"Nope."

And with that, Demyx dragged Zexion to the rec room, where the family "theater" was located.

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**A/N: Toward the end, I know what you are thinking. And yes, there is Zexion/Selphie only if you squint. I don't why I randomly got into this pairing; I just think that they'd be cute together.**

**Please drop in review. Yes, yes, I'm begging more than usual, but it's what keeps me driven. Well, that, and chocolate....but mostly reviews. XD**


	9. Hockey Smackdown: Boys vs Girls

**A/N: I gotta admit, this chapter was sort of inspired by Wayne's World in a way, namely the street hockey scene. I don't know why my random mind makes up these random ideas. But, OK, if it works, it works. I also remember watching Edward Scissorhands while writing this, so if there's one part that seems almost romantic, it's because of that awesome work of art for a movie. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the movies I just mentioned. Neither do I own anything else. At all. Ever. **

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**Chapter 9: Hockey Smackdown: Boys vs. Girls**

With the utmost caution and general awkwardness, Namine balanced upon a ladder to hang the last strand of Christmas lights to make her house as beautiful as possible. Green, red, blue, yellow, and vague purple bulbs decorated the strand, which inspired her to draw yet another Christmas picture. Maybe she would send that one to her grandmother. Nothing made her feel more accomplished than giving her loved ones gifts she created. Once standing on solid ground again, she beamed upon taking in these perfect decorations. Her family could definitely win the neighborhood contest this year. Leonheart won last year, which earned the revulsion of everyone else; the goal was to beat his arrogant butt this year. She sighed, allowing the chill breeze to play with strands of her messy blond hair. Yes, today was great so far.

Loud crashing noises could be heard all the way from her spot, which surprised her and caused her to wonder what her cousin was doing. She had invited Olette earlier, and they had been messing around in the closet ever since from the sounds of things. Namine just hoped a fight wasn't ensuing up there. Gathering her fuzzy beige parka tighter around her body, she restlessly pushed open the front door to enter the kitchen, where the smell of baking cherry pie wafted through the air. She always hated cherries, much less in pie form. Oh, and she also thought the song was vaguely sexist too—nice electric guitar playing but sexist nonetheless. She proceeded to almost vault the stairs to her room, slamming the door open upon arrival.

To her slight disbelief, Olette and Kairi emerged from the closet, wearing red hockey jerseys, protective padding, jeans, and roller skates. Not only that, but they also wore cumbersome black helmets on their heads. Namine gulped as she noticed a team outfit spread out on the bed, obviously meant for her. God, how she hated the ice! It hurt whenever she fell on it after tripping like a klutz. Then again, playing hockey shouldn't be too bad, right? Worse things could happen to her than slipping on sheer ice—yeah, like dying from it. Uh-huh, that possibility could become reality. Part of her wanted to shamefully hide in that closet. Ignoring her inner turmoil, her cousin grinned. "Hey, Nami! Sora called me yesterday afternoon and said he wanted his team to go against ours. It's the showdown of the century, the battle of the sexes, and—!"

"OK, OK, just what made you think I'd be all gun-ho for the idea?" Namine inquired testily, placing her hands sternly on her hips. "I'm not! Kai, you know full well that I'm scared of falling."

Olette pointed out just then in her best know-it-all tone, "Well, the only way to solve things is to face your fear head-on. Just be careful not to bump into anything in today's game."

"Oh, thanks, Olette. I'm uplifted by your words."

Somewhat discouraged from Namine's biting sarcasm, Kairi sighed while imploring, "Come on, Namine! It will be fun. Besides, we haven't had a _real _girls' day out yet."

"You mean that mall trip didn't count?"

Almost at a complete loss, Kairi proceeded to come up with an idea. "Axel will be there."

This suddenly thought-up plan worked. Namine's mouth practically dropped open upon hearing this fact, though she pursed her lips to prevent from showing her shock. Really, how could she say no to that offer now? All Kairi needed to pull out was the Axel trick, and she was already persuaded. She seriously had to stop crushing on him before it got any worse. Pretty soon, she would receive heart attacks on a regular basis just by hearing his name. Plus it was a good excuse for everyone around her to use her feelings against her. Ah, high school love!

Namine heaved an extra annoyed sigh. "Do you have to use the 'Axel will be there' trick on me?"

"Whatever it takes." Kairi shrugged.

"Now get on the gear, and let's go." Olette tossed the clothes on the bed toward the blonde.

Fifteen minutes later, they set off down the street toward the Highwind house, overzealously decorated for the holiday season. It proved just how much a cocky young neighbor could get under a middle-aged man's skin. Amazingly, no snow fell upon the three girls today, which signified that it finally let up for once. Standing on the threshold, Roxas, his twin brother Sora, and Axel pretended they were Jedi by using their hockey sticks and imaginations. All three boys wore matching blue jerseys that had different numbers etched on them. Like the girls, they were geared up and ready to go. Sora warmly greeted his competition, whereas the other two feigned growling.

"Hey, Kairi! Hey, Namine and Olette! Ready for the big game today?"

"You're going down, man!" Kairi shouted daringly, raising her hockey stick to challenge him.

Axel and Roxas stopped their growling to exchange doubtful glances. After all, the game hadn't even begun, and Kairi already prepared to be competitive. As for Namine and Olette, they acted far calmer, especially the demure brunette. Lifting her green eyes in a mock bashful manner to stare at Roxas, she greeted, "Hey, Roxas."

Nudging Axel in a half-bragging way, he quickly responded with, "What's up, Olette? Wanna hang out at my place after this? Snuggle under some blankets while sipping hot chocolate with you would be the best. I mean, like the song says, 'All I want for Christmas is you'."

Olette giggled, teasing him by nearing her lips close to his to attract him. "You have a way with words, Roxas."

Feeling painfully awkward from witnessing a couple showing affection, Axel moved away from his friends.

The redhead shook his head while collecting his thoughts, wondering where Roxas came up with all this mushy stuff. Maybe it was because of his own blunt style that he had as yet to obtain a steady girlfriend. Sure, he dated before—of course he had—but those girls would actually dump him due to his so-called "imperfections." He never said the right things at the right time at the right place on the right planet, so it seemed. No matter how enthusiastically he threw himself into each dating enterprise, nothing could suit the girl. Ever. Then, Axel proceeded to catch a glimpse of Namine, who smiled confidently at him. He smiled back and realized that maybe this artistic blonde would be content enough just to be with him.

Striding toward her as he ignored the rapid beating of his heart, he nonchalantly raised a hand to say hello. Her smile naturally turned into a grin, and she didn't look the least bit shy.

"Hey, Axel. How's your break been so far?" she asked.

"Well," he replied quick-wittedly, "aside from the fact that my landlord evicted me from my apartment, I've been doing great."

Namine's grin disappeared, replaced with a shocked expression. "That's terrible! So, you've been hanging out at Roxas' place?"

"Yep....but hey, don't worry about me. The only thing you should be concerned about is your team losing."

She stuck her tongue out at him saucily. "You wish, Naito! You're going down."

Axel chuckled softly, wielding his hockey stick at her comically to make her laugh. He loved it when she laughed.

Without much further ado, both teams converged out in the middle of the barren suburban street, and Cid (who Roxas dragged outside earlier) prepared to drop the hockey puck.

"Kids, I want a clean game out of you. I'm aware of how they do it in professional hockey, but I don't want you imitating them. After all, I doubt your parents would want you fighting."

Smirking, Axel hissed to Sora, "Are you kidding? Mine would referee and place bets on us."

Sora started laughing rather loudly, though disguised it as a cough once his dad looked over at him. Shrugging slightly, Cid decided to drop the puck, which Kairi determinedly received with her stick.

"I'll trust you guys don't need a referee, because I don't feel like doing that. Watch for cars."

He then returned to the house to watch football, as was expected of him on the weekend.

In the mean time, Kairi had aggressively passed the puck to Olette, who swatted it into the other team's net. Though Roxas made a valiant effort as goalie to help his team, Olette's reflexes were just too quick for him. He lifted his mask to smirk at her.

"Nice shot, honey!" he called.

"Shut up and pretend you're actually playing, sweetie," Olette replied in a smart-alecky, overly sweet way. Her boyfriend only gave a swift nod, placed his mask back on, and threw the puck back into play. Displaying expert athleticism (he was an active teammate in school), Sora skated rapidly toward the other net, where Namine patiently stood. As long as she wasn't out on that ice, she would survive. Though she had to admit, it was amusing how much like a virtual tomboy Kairi acted during a game.

In a matter of minutes, she could switch from a pretty, popular mall lover to a tough as nails athlete who would demolish any miserable sucker in her path. Even now, she playfully pushed Sora aside to try to get at the puck, which he passed to Axel. A wide, entertained smirk plastered itself on the pyro's face as he moved past both Olette and Kairi breezily. His tall frame prevented the two girls to try to knock him over, and he played like such a born natural. He didn't look awkward in skates or the padding at all, skating as though he possessed no extra weight. Namine admired him from afar, but of course he was gaining toward the net. He came so close...

"Try and stop this, Tashiro!" he yelled out defiantly, which put her on the alert and ready to block.

Just before Axel could attempt his shot, Roxas shouted, "Car!"

Quickly, though groaning exasperatedly in the process, the teenagers pushed the nets and themselves over to the sidewalk. They let the particular car pass, which felt like forever.

"Game on!" Sora declared, setting his team's net back in its place.

"What a shame I couldn't get that puck in...but I don't make the same mistake twice," Axel declared, racing after the rubber puck. And yes, he managed to score, though Namine's blocking try was good. Still, she avenged her misstep by saving the puck twice. So, it went on for a couple of minutes, her team eventually capturing the lead. Unfortunately, Olette felt the weariness of someone who has been strenuously playing a sport in the cold for a whole twenty minutes.

"Can I be the goalie now?" she asked Kairi, panting after she had called a time-out.

Stressed that she would have to go skating...on _ice_..., Namine sensed all of the color in her face draining away. Great, she would die out here if she so much as attempted to play. Kairi could take possession of her beloved Persian cat Snowflake, who loved the redheaded girl about as much as Namine. Her pet could use a decent home once she broke her neck. Yeah, and Axel could have her X-Box 360. That should make him somewhat happy, if her death didn't totally devastate him. Oh, for crying out loud, she was getting worked up over a stupid game! No matter how much self-assurance she could give herself, she still gulped.

Wearing a huge beaming grin, Kairi glided over to her. "You didn't honestly think you'd get out of this, did you?"

"Yeah," Olette added, preparing to take over as goalie, "you can help us cinch this win, Namine. Who knows? It's not as bad as you're making it out to be. You'll be OK, I'm sure."

Namine's returning smile wavered. "I guess...Seriously, though, I'm not keen on playing."

"Oh, you'll be fine," Kairi vowed and, after the blonde and Olette switched helmets, gently pushed her toward the middle of the playing area. An awkward stumble later, Namine readied herself for the dropping of the puck by Sora this time. As soon as it plopped down on the ice, he retreated to his goalie net to stand guard. Now, it was the two cousins versus the two best friends, facing off against each other. The game had taken an interesting turn. Immediately, Roxas took the offensive by dragging the puck with his stick. Kairi, as diligent as ever, slid up to him to fend him off. In the mean time, Namine tried to skate toward her cousin, but Axel blocked her.

His green eyes alit with almost flirtatious teasing, he implored of her, "Hey, Nam, how about it? You could let me win. I know you want to do that—so, go with your first instinct."

Namine playfully rolled her blue eyes, tossing her loose blond hair back. "As if! I don't think you know what I'm thinking, Axe. You think you're some sort of clairvoyant who can randomly read my mind."

"Yes, I do sense some deep, dark thoughts," he said melodramatically, closing his eyes while pretending to search for something. Namine chose this opportunity to awkwardly glide past him to catch up with Kairi, whom she waved to.

"I'm open, Kai!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Kairi nodded and proceeded to push the puck she had had in possession over to her successfully.

Unluckily for the artist girl, she slipped in her hurry to retrieve the rubber thing to hit into Sora's net. Shrieking frightfully, she swore to herself that she would fall now. Afraid of getting a serious injury on the ice, she shut her eyes tightly. But, the impact never came. Confused as to why she hadn't toppled on the slippery road, she cracked her eyes open. Axel held her suspended above the ice, his emerald eyes boring into her own. Somehow, his arms wrapped around her body felt safe, so indescribably warm. A slight pink blush spread across her cheeks, and he reacted to seeing that with a grin.

"That was a close call, Namine, I gotta admit. But, I don't want you hurting yourself now."

For all his joking, she knew he was serious and kept gazing at him.

Vivid green eyes still shone down upon her, glittering as brightly as nighttime stars. His face looked so handsome too, perfect in every aspect. And his spikes of red hair...so close...close enough to touch. Apprehensively yet surely, she stroked his hair, which felt exquisitely soft. What kind of shampoo did he use? Meanwhile, his grin softened into a smile, a gentle smile that invited her to take a glimpse into his soul. His lips...she could—

"Hey, do you two mind if we get this game going again?!?" Sora, the consummate athlete, called to them from his net. To show his impatience, he tapped his stick on the ground.

The spell was broken between them. However, Axel grinned brilliantly, whereas Namine smiled back at him. Giving each other competitive stares, they prepared to try their hardest at the hockey game.

Her team came out victorious in the end, 15 to 12.

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**A/N: There's actually a bit of irony here in the whole "all I want for Christmas is you" line that Roxas says to Olette. I found a Youtube video yesterday with that song AND that pairing. So, if there are any festive Roxette fans in this audience, I suggest you watch it. It made me grin for sure. XD**

**And there seems to be chemistry going on between Axel and Namine. Just sayin'.**


	10. A Christmas Eve Confession Story

**A/N: In which a winner is named for the decoration contest and a couple (finally!) gets together.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with major corporations and all that.**

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**Chapter 10: A Christmas Eve Confession Story**

Christmas Eve arrived before anybody in the small town of Twilight Town even noticed, but the annual neighborhood decoration contest was at hand. Everyone waited for the defining moment in which the mayor would come to each neighborhood to declare the winner. It lasted mostly all day, and Roxas' area was usually saved for last. The reason being, as the mayor mentioned to Namine's dad (who was a professional photographer), that the particular neighborhood had the best decorations. Nearly an hour would usually pass before the mayor would declare the winner. This year was no exception, Roxas noticed as he gazed out his window to watch the judging process. It all seemed over-the-top, what with the judges and the mayor scribbling down notes on their clipboards. They were meticulous about inspecting each and every house for dazzling Christmas decorations.

The blond boy found himself crossing his fingers once the judges stopped at Leon's house, sincerely hoping for the worst. He would give anything for his lousy excuse for a neighbor to lose miserably. His house didn't look that great. Sure, there was that plastic snowman on top, the words "Merry Christmas" that lit up brightly, Santa and his reindeer, and just so many things. It was ridiculous how Leon stuffed his house and yard with holiday clichés. As if the judges would be impressed by that display! Right?

Axel stepped into Roxas' room as though he magically entered. "So, who's gonna win the contest?"

"Not sure," the blond honestly said. "Not Leon. I mean, have you seen the dude's yard?!?"

The redhead shook his head in the negative, so he peered over his best friend's head to see how bad that house and yard looked. He laughed upon seeing Leon's display.

"Yeesh, does he even have a theme?!? I mean, he practically has Jesus and Santa in the same spot!"

Roxas smirked, glad that Axel agreed. "I know, right? I think Leon has let last year's win get to his head."

"I'd say so," his friend managed to spit out disbelievingly. "Man, he's definitely not gonna win."

Practically on cue, Cid rushed into the room. Obviously, he had been in a hurry, considering he didn't even take the time to stick a cigarette in his mouth. He even sounded more audible then usual.

"They're about to announce the winner, boys, in case you're interested. Hopefully, it's not that Leonheart."

Axel and Roxas exchanged amused glances (old man grumpiness was hilarious) before running down the stairs.

As the two boys quickly opened the door, they discovered their other neighbors crowded outside too, waiting for the big announcement. Axel noticed Namine standing five feet away from him, her back inadvertently turned toward him. Her blond hair draped over her shoulders so perfectly that Axel figured that she should wear her hair down every day. Why did she have to be so beautiful? He kept getting distracted by it lately, though not necessarily in a shallow way. Really, he only admired the way she looked along with her interesting, alluring personality. Sure, they were best friends now, but what if they could...?

He shook off his thoughts once the mayor made his grand appearance before the patient townspeople.

"It was a hard decision this year as always," he started off, looking tall and proud in his rather stout frame, "but only one household has won and will receive the $1,000 prize money."

The atmosphere practically suffocated the anxiously waiting citizens, who wondered if they owned the lucky house with the best decorations. Leon just wore a cocky grin.

"The winner is...the Highwind family!"

Roxas' mouth dropped open out of amazement, barely registering the news. Then, nearly ecstatic, he trapped Axel in a painfully fierce, best guy friend hug.

"We won, dude! We won! Hahaha, take that, Leonheart!" Roxas shouted braggingly, imitating his father dead-on. Brother Sora, on the other hand, merely smiled in his confidently laid-back manner.

Leon's grin disappeared, replaced by a sour expression. "There's gotta be a mistake. Just...ugh, I need a beer."

Totally irked as well as bummed out (but mostly irked), the immature twenty-something stalked off to his enthusiastically decorated house that mayor deemed too extravagant this year.

As Shera and Cid Highwind accepted the $1,000 check, the ace pilot couldn't help but declare, "We actually owe it to our neighbor Leonheart."

"Honey, show some class," his wife admonished as she rolled her eyes yet smiled all the same. So, naturally, a Christmas Eve party ensued at the Highwind home that evening. Everyone in the neighborhood (except, of course, one sulky sore loser) attended since the house was sizeable enough to hold at least twenty people. The Tashiros were included in all the festivity, much to both Axel's delight and worry. He sensed that tonight would be _the night _to confess his secret feelings to Namine. Why not do so before break ended? Cautiously, he approached her, feeling like he was thirteen again.

And, just like he would have done at age thirteen (what a depressing year for him then), he tapped her on the shoulder while she busily chatted with Kairi. Shyly, Namine smiled after he got her attention.

"Um...," he started (yeah, good pick-up line), "do you want to take a walk with me...alone?"

At least he hadn't stuttered. He should give himself a gold star for that. Unfortunately, the awkwardness for him became worse once he glimpsed Kairi pointedly staring at him. What the heck was her issue?

He decided to find out for himself. "Hey...uh, you don't mind us talking alone together, do you?"

The redhaired girl beamed as though he told her that Christmas was every day. "No, not at all. Get out of here, you crazy kids!"

Trying unsuccessfully to hide this action, Namine gulped nervously. Aw, he could tell she was worried, too. And, from how large Kairi's smile was, that crazy girl probably planned to push her shy cousin out the door.

To prevent this from actually happening, Axel supportively touched the blonde's elbow to escort her outside in the thirty degree weather. He couldn't help but feel stupid to be dragging her toward the cold, but he felt that this conversation was best to be held in a private setting. Together, the two teenagers wandered up the street to Namine's house, darkened from the lack of artificial lighting. They perched themselves on the swinging patio chair, awkwardly posing away from each other. That problem stemmed from the morbidly fearful guesses as to what one thought of the other. And Axel wasn't sure if this had been a good idea after all. He distracted himself by gazing up at the stars, the moon surrounding them and itself with a silvery halo.

Unfortunately, he kept feeling the intense power that Namine's presence induced over him, so he glanced back at her. Patiently, she waited for the conversation to start. Impatiently, he talked quickly.

"Nice night, isn't it? I think it is. The stars look all...starry, and it's just really, really nice."

Nice going, Axe, he thought bitterly. His remaining thoughts flew all over the place, his mind changing regarding his general plan. Originally, he wanted to walk with her, and now he sat awkwardly beside her while he attempted what intelligent thing to say next. There was always something about her that just made him go crazy. Heck, he could barely think straight.

Much to his relief, Namine only smiled as she absentmindedly played with the string of his hoodie. "You're right. Tonight is great...but it's a little cold out here, don't you think?"

"_Warning! Warning! You forgot to mention the cold, idiot. There's strike two," _said his brain.

Aloud, Axel haltingly replied, "Yeah, it is pretty cold out here. But, it's winter. Heck, we're just four hours away from Christmas. Then again"—and here, the familiar sly smirk curved his lips—"I think I've got an idea about warming up."

Proceeding to take out his box of matches that he was obsessively attached to, he twirled one of the wooden sticks around to show Namine. Calmly yet mischievously, she smirked in response since she couldn't look all innocent and demure constantly. That was what attracted him to her. To please her, Axel struck his match against the gray line, creating a determined orange flame that burned against the cold. She scooted closer to him, the flame lighting the sapphire of her eyes as she did so. He gazed at her in return, thoroughly interested; he never took her to be a pyro, too.

Gently, he placed his fingers toward the tendrils of the tiny fire, just to feel the warmth tingle the senses there. Ah, he loved fire as much as...well, maybe if she would say yes or stare at him invitingly. As he slightly touched the flame, Namine asked while tugging his sleeve, "Can I touch it?"

A small though genuine smile graced his lips as he cautiously offered the match to her. "Here, try it."

Apprehensively, she inched her own finger toward the fire, burning so incandescently and beautifully that she couldn't tear her eyes from it. She wanted to prove that she had some sort of bravery, just once. If she chickened out (as she grudgingly admitted she did), what respect would she earn then? Oh, that's right, reputation ruined because of a stupid match. Axel wouldn't laugh at her, though; he was her best friend.

Too rashly, however, Namine practically stuck her finger into the flame...and it hurt. Temporarily ignorant of Axel's presence, she yelled out a crude expletive. The redhead heard the obvious shout and concernedly looked toward her to see her nursing her finger, which she placed in her mouth. She burned herself?

Oh, he should have known letting her touch the flame was a stupid idea!

"Strike three, and I'm out," he muttered acidly to himself, blaming himself for her injury.

Apparently, Namine had dragged her very slightly burnt finger out her mouth, because she cut in as though she read his thoughts, "You better not blame yourself, or I'll just burn you."

Shaking his head out of disbelief, Axel lowly chuckled and twirled a strand of his interest's blond hair. "You forget that I am more of an experienced pyro, Namine."

She let out a surprisingly not nervous laugh. "Yeah, I know. I have a better idea by the way."

As cutely as possible, she snuggled even closer to him, leaving hardly any space at all between them. For some reason, a reddish blush spread across Axel's face. Whoa, what did he just discuss with himself about a week or so ago, huh? He specifically assumed that he had told himself in his thoughts that blushing was childish. Even Zexion sarcastically (or so it felt like) inquired rhetorically if he was a little old to have crushes. True, but he doubted that his friend knew the magic a girl like Namine could cast. Her comfortable charisma had him under its spell, too tempting to refuse. Yes, it about had to go beyond friendship now, didn't it? Practically on instinct, he wrapped both of his arms around her petite body. She was so small that he swore he might possibly break her. But, he knew her far too well to consider that. At least they were warm from this icy air permeating around them. The two of them enjoyed this silence again.

Abruptly, though, Axel mentioned quietly while wearing a tamer version of his smirk, "Hey, Namine, what if I told you that you could be the one and only girl for me?"

That seemed to catch her attention, judging by the movement of her head. Her truth seeking blue eyes gazed at his face anxiously as she tried to figure out his none too subtle meaning. She wondered if what he said was honest and sincere. Because if it was...

"I...don't know. Do you—?"

"Yeah," he interrupted, the smirk gone from his face as he sobered. "I really, really...care about you."

Now it was Namine's turn to blush, though she made a bold move by leaning intimately over him. The depth along with the handsomeness of his face was all too entrancing to her. Hypnotized, she found herself asking a question.

"So, do you love me?" She didn't mean to sound so incredibly blunt, but she had to know. Marluxia, that revolting, pathetic ex-boyfriend of hers, showered her with false affection. His interest could be held for about five days when it came to girls. She hoped that Axel refused to see her as another passing fad. Even though he still maintained a solemn expression, Axel's vivid green eyes glowed with warm teasing, "You can say that. In fact, I do. What about you?"

Namine could feel her face rise to an insanely hot temperature. "Yes, and I think I always have."

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about rejection now."

Axel proceeded to chuckle after admitting this, and Namine eventually joined in. He just radiated such perfect warmth that she sensed her worries disappearing, too. Both of them could accept being romantically involved.

Their combined laughter softened when Axel affectionately cradled Namine's chin in his hand, his eyes shining. She figured that hers must look like the stars then. His lips were as close as they were nearly a week ago. This time, though, no one was luckily around to interrupt this potentially sweet moment. So, with that in mind, she gently placed her forehead against Axel's. She could hear his slightly faster than usual breathing and smell the Doritos coming off it. Ugh, worst food to eat before kissing ever! Digging around in her parka pocket, she offered a stick of gum.

"Mint gum?" she asked while hoping he didn't take this into too great an offense.

He grinned, realizing that he had been dumb enough to eat Doritos. "OK...I'm glad you carry that around."

Five minutes later, Axel spit out his gum onto the snow and was more than eager to get this moment going.

Surprisingly, he made no comment regarding his previously bad breath, only gazing at Namine with his tenderly serious expression. He absentmindedly sifted his fingers through her straw colored hair before getting even closer. Shyly lifting her head from his chest again, Namine sighed contently and placed her lips closer to his. However, it was he who took the initiative to kiss her fully on the lips. Axel thought that he saw fireworks with his eyes shut when he did this. Something this truly beautiful could not be repeated. He felt her embracing him tightly, more than happy to let him become one with her. Once she and he opened their eyes, they smiled. No one else saw them kiss, which felt more special to them.

Axel continued to stare at her adoringly as he whispered, "That Marluxia can rot, considering he was a jackass to you."

Nodding appreciatively, Namine almost laughed from thinking about how Marluxia's current relationship would work out. Judging from what she said in the mall, she figured it would fall apart.

Before she responded to his comment, Axel told her, "You know, I won't treat you like that. Ever."

Genuinely touched by his words of inadvertently known loyalty, she kissed him yet again with deeper passion, truer emotion. Love came just before Christmas this year.

"Let's see my ex ever get in a relationship like ours," she declared with a playful smirk.

The new couple spent a little more private time on the front porch before retreating to Roxas' house to pour themselves some hot chocolate. In retrospect, though, they were debuting as an official item to the party goers. Kairi squealed upon seeing them holding each other's hands, Roxas heartily congratulated them, Sora gave the thumbs-up, and Demyx and Zexion claimed they saw it coming. Thus, Namine and Axel were finally together.

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**A/N: All right, just one more chapter and an epilogue to go, and this story is finished! XD But, since this story is a major flop for me (I feel like I have done better), I'm not sure about a sequel. I had contemplated it before, with it being non-holiday themed. But, I don't know.**

**Well, review if you want a sequel, I guess. I doubt anybody does, but I'm just curious.**


	11. Christmas Fun Or Leon Got Run Over

**A/N: Well, looks like this baby will be finished tomorrow! XD I'm excited about that, even though I thought it'd be finished on Christmas Eve. Oh well, maybe more people are likely to read this on Christmas Eve anyway. OK, random stuff in this chapter, including a reindeer named Vixen--a reindeer who doesn't belong to Santa.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned in this chapter, especially NOT the song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer", which is by a country duo named Elmo and Patsy, I found out.**

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**Chapter 11: Christmas Fun (Or Leon Got Run Over by a Reindeer)**

Christmas morning arrived very quietly without any noise caused by a grudging Leon, much to Roxas' surprise. Usually, if his next door neighbor felt any resentment toward the Highwinds (or anyone else for that matter), he would blare loud, angry music for five hours. These hours were nighttime ones, of course. Well, good that Leon wasn't bitter. Besides, his best friend Axel still slept away on the couch, probably dreaming of his new girlfriend Namine. How did so many things happen before Christmas? Speaking of which, Roxas was curious if his parents had placed any gifts under the fake tree. He glanced at the digital clock that read five o' clock, a traditional hour to awaken for Christmas morning. Eagerly, he left Axel sleeping as he ran down the stairs to the living room. He decided to sneak over to the closet to retrieve the presents he bought.

After tossing these under the tree, he crawled to a present for him from Zexion (who dropped his packages off at the party last night) and tore the wrapping to shreds within five seconds. Among the brightly colored debris, Roxas saw an actual book with a card tucked inside its pages. Upon reading the smart-alecky message written inside the card, he chuckled. Typical Zexion remarks!

_Roxas-_

_I took the liberty of buying a book (an actual, thought provoking **book** ) this year for you. You're welcome. It's called **A Collection of Greek Myths**. I hope you enjoy it, considering it's more interesting than I would have thought. Trust me, you need some decent literature in your life....unless you want your brain to turn into marshmallows._

_Merry Christmas_

_-Zexion_

_P.S. Demyx randomly said hi and so did_

_Selphie. By the way, I absolutely detest that girl...I think._

"Right," Roxas laughed out loud again, skimming through his new book, "you say that now, but you're going to go out with her. Yeesh, he's a smart guy who thinks he knows everything."

Just then, he heard footsteps stomping down the stairs—someone must have eavesdropped on his talking.

Axel slid down the rail by the stairs to dismount perfectly on the floor. Wearing his classic, snarky grin, he strutted toward his friend with a sense of false arrogance. Sora soon followed by not very subtly bounding down the stairs. Ah, Roxas could never be alone for very long in this house.

"Why would you open presents without us, bro?" Sora asked jokingly, though looked almost reproachful.

"Yeah, traitor! Fork my presents over," Axel demanded just as jokingly.

Roxas sighed with an air of mock surrender before he relented, "All right, all right. We don't need Mom and Dad here to watch anyway. We're men after all."

The next five minutes were spent in this manner, what with the boys ripping packages open and marveling at their presents. For the most part, these composed of DVDs, video games, and cold, hard cash.

By the time that only the adults' gifts remained under the tree, Cid and Shera groggily went down the stairs. They almost simultaneously wandered to the kitchen to get some coffee before noticing the three teenage boys talking about their presents. Cid blearily rubbed his eyes before stupidly asking, "Are you kids up already?"

"No, but our clones are, though," Sora replied to test his parents' alertness.

"OK," Shera accepted this with a yawn.

"Yeah, yeah. Bring us our presents to the kitchen, will you?" Cid asked drowsily.

Meanwhile, Sora crept toward a dark corner close to the fake Christmas tree to discover a forgotten present.

Once he touched the present, he flipped it over with his hands and closely inspected the tag. "Hey, Axel, you apparently got another gift. I guess our parents' are in the closet. I'll go get them."

Carelessly tossing the gift to Axel, the brunet set off in search for more presents while grumpily calling toward Roxas, "Dude, where'd you hide the rest of the presents?!?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming, yeesh. Brothers are such a drag," the blond muttered to his redheaded friend, who smirked in agreement. At least _he _was away from his own stupid younger brother. Left to his own devices, he glanced curiously at the boxed present. He should at least read the tag, though his heart thumped a little faster than usual. OK, deep breaths, and he would pinpoint the identity of the giver. So, he looked, disbelieving the neatly written name at first.

But, it was...it was from Namine.

Instead of attacking the paper as he had done with all the others, Axel gently tore it away as he thought about the care his now girlfriend took in wrapping this. Girlfriend—he couldn't believe how foreign it sounded, like an exotic land. He may have had others who claimed this title, but she was the most special of them all. She even made the term girlfriend sound magical in itself, being the perfectly alluring enchantress as always. Once Axel removed the lid from the exposed box, he saw to his astonishment the most glorious gift ever.

It was a sincerely thought-out present in the form of a fireworks kit, oddly symbolic in its own right. Considering they had created their own fireworks by kissing last night, Axel admitted to himself that it proved Namine had wit. Not like he knew _that _already. He knew everything about her at this point.

Attached to the packaged kit with a bit of Scotch tape was a homemade card decorated with beautifully drawn snowflakes. Remembering how he tried drawing snowflakes in the first grade and failing dismally, he laughed quietly to himself. White Crayola snowflakes on green construction paper—no card came much more from the heart than this. He must remind himself to reward her with the sappiest hugs later to torture her, for true sap always made her feel awkward. Opening the card, Axel read this vaguely poetic yet loving message.

_Dear Axel (aka my heart's desire),_

_You're probably wondering why I'm being this cheesy with all of this, especially the gift. Well, I thought that fireworks for Christmas will remind you of Christmas Eve last night. Who knew my dad would have them lying around? It was fate. This kit means that we will have sparks flying all year long. We can just look up at the night sky together whenever you decide to light these brightly colored things. And then, we'll make our own fireworks...heh-heh, cheesiness overload._

_Yours, Namine (aka your always loving girlfriend)_

"I love you, too," he whispered after perusing the card, which he kissed after inspecting the room for sudden intrusions. If Roxas had walked in, he would never have been able to live it down.

"Found them!" the blond declared after much rustling and rummaging through other closet items.

A testy Sora could be heard yelling exasperatedly, "It's about time! You almost tore up the whole house. And who cleans on Christmas anyway?!?"

After this rather weird introduction to Christmas Day, Shera managed to finally wake herself up with caffeine-filled coffee to start cooking Christmas dinner. She busily went about baking and stewing and boiling while the boys lounged around to watch TV. Nothing but parades were on along with the constant sports. Bored for once, Cid abandoned them to actually help cooking dinner...at least to the best of his ability. All he did on his part was to place bake-ready biscuits in the oven, though didn't do so well after that. In fact, Sora heard him cursing due to the burn he had just suffered on his finger.

"Poor Dad. He's always so busy at work that he doesn't get home until after Mom does. It wouldn't kill him to take some cooking lessons."

Axel chuckled, his ever present smirk forming on his lips. "Well, it's safe to say that Cid could improve. But hey, at least he's trying. My dad was too lazy and stupid to do anything."

"Speaking of family," Roxas mentioned, glancing his friend's way, "my parents told me to tell you that you can live here now. They don't think you're a burden at all, since you have a job."

Utter happiness brought the redhead to a standstill, bringing him to the point that he could hardly speak. He wouldn't have to find his way toward another cockroach infested apartment and live in miserable squalor until college happened next year. Hanging out with two boys who were like brothers to him, living just houses away from his girlfriend, and having parental figures—this was an incredible windfall.

For once (or maybe twice) in his life, he felt general acceptance from those around him. The old, painful days of emotional abuse and apathy from his disgusting family had long since vanished. Indeed, Axel possessed a real family at his disposal now. True, he wasn't related by blood to the Highwinds, though they were the first family he had ever known, ever wanted to know. So, in response to hearing this news, he replied, "Good, that's pretty rad. I mean, I don't want to live in a place where a guy like Mr. Valentine controls everything."

The twin brothers started laughing so hard that Sora accidentally changed the channel. Axel contributed with his hearty chuckle that could make an entire room brighter. Three hours later, Christmas dinner (technically lunch) was served with all of the traditional foods imaginable. The boys being boys scarfed down seemingly everything before they met up with everyone else downtown.

Demyx decided to step up and become the one who arranged this Christmas gathering due to a flier he saw yesterday that depicted an actual reindeer. Yes, the mayor planned to join in the holiday spirit by asking a reindeer rancher to bring one downtown. It would bring entertainment to both children and adults alike. Of course, Demyx honestly had no intention of just gazing in awe at Vixen the reindeer. Due to his own prankster ways, he idealized an amazing plot that would surely distress the mayor. No one else knew about it, though, not even his closest friends. So, as they stood in the crowd to wait for glimpsing Vixen, they discussed their Christmases. Zexion's tale was especially interesting if not a tad obscure. Then again, the boy with the IQ of 175 was far from ordinary.

"I wake up this morning to Mom watching overdramatic Christmas movies on TV. She had about six Kleenex boxes in tow, so I was very confused. She was sobbing hysterically when she gave me my presents. I got my movies, books, and $200 in cash at least. I refuse to complain. At least she cooked dinner for me and my relatives...from her side of the family of course. Now, I have to eat an organic Christmas dinner at Dad's in about three hours. Yummy."

"You live a very strange life," Olette told him, exchanging bemused glances with Roxas.

"I know. And Easter will be especially terrifying."

Demyx informed everyone else, "Yeah, his youngest cousins go hyper with candy."

They were finally close enough to the reindeer that they could pet it if they wanted to, which Namine did without a second thought. When Vixen licked her hand, she gave her a pat on the head. Axel affectionately draped an arm around her waist.

"You have a way with animals, I must say," he whispered in her ear, almost kissing her before Kairi harrumphed for attention.

"As much as I would love to see you two make out in front of us," she beamed briefly before sobering, "I need to know the point of this. Demyx, what is this about?"

He grinned slyly as he approached the latch of the pen's door. "I just wanted some fun this holiday season."

And with that, he opened the door to release Vixen into the suburban wild.

Before anyone could say anything to scold Demyx, the crazy musician sped off after the fleeing reindeer, which caused his loyal friends to run after him. Meanwhile, concerned witnesses wondered if they should call the cops or not. As the teenagers chased Vixen throughout the town, they eventually stumbled into Roxas' neighborhood.

"Just how far can one reindeer run anyway?" Sora asked, stopping his run to regain his breath.

"I do believe the appropriate question would be how crazy can Demyx get?" Zexion corrected as he wiped sweat from his brow. Extremely weary, they planned to give up convincing Demyx to see reason, when they noticed the reindeer barreling over Leon as he stepped out the door. Groaning in pain, he clutched to his leg that had been injured by that tumble into the snow.

Roxas came up with a random idea just then as he walked over to his normally obnoxious neighbor, who now had a weakened leg as well as ruined pride. His friends followed his lead, Demyx victoriously walking toward them. He was obviously proud of his insane accomplishment.

Soon, Roxas started singing with the others joining, "Leon got run over by a reindeer, walking home from our house Christmas Eve. You can say there's no such thing as Santa. But, as for me and Demyx, we believe."

"Aw, God, I hate kids!" Leon complained before awkwardly standing to his feet. "What is with you brats?"

"Silly rabbit, Christmas tricks are for kids! Adults aren't part of the equation," Demyx explained.

The group shortly left the frustrated wannabe rocker afterwards, laughing like hyenas. Of course, Vixen came along.

By the time they returned the reindeer to her pen, five police vehicles, two fire trucks, and an ambulance had intruded on the scene of confusion. Luckily for them, they only received a light scolding from the mayor.

"Just don't do it again, kids," he told them. "Vixen running away had us all worried."

"Yes, sir," Demyx said submissively but hypocritically winked at his friends. As they walked back toward their homes together, they regaled over the soon-to-be best Christmas memory in their young lives.

Zexion ensured to point out," Demyx, you're a genius. And that is coming from an actual genius."

Living in the moment, Axel took this opportunity to create a short speech. "So, as they say, God bless us everyone. That goes for the immature neighbor, the super fat mall cops, and the reindeer that runs over people."

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**A/N: Well, someone had to say the Christmas Carol line, in a sense. I thought who not better than Axel, the grinch who converted into overall Christmas lover. As for the song this chapter is named after, well, I live in the Midwest. Therefore, this redneck song is a fave among many, including me of all people. I don't know--it's just been a song I heard since I was a kid and I love it. It cracks me up every time. XD**

**Like I said yesterday, I was pondering over the possibility of a sequal, non-holiday themed. I'm not sure, though, because most Christmas movies don't have sequals for obvious reasons. Well, except The Santa Clause, but those sequals sucked, espeically the third one. If you value your eyes, you will NOT watch the thirdd one!!!! XD Anyway, yeah...but I'm more likely to create a sequel to Xion's Opinions actually.**


	12. Epilogue: In Which Karma Strikes Back

**A/N: Just when this story was on a roll, it has to come to a close. Sad. But, oh well, it's the holidays! The title of this epilogue is, yes, basically a Star Wars reference. I'm a nerd; naturally, we do stuff like this. XD I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed/read/faved it. Makes me happy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all except a mere copy of the Harry Potter book referenced.**

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**Epilogue: In Which Karma Strikes Back**

To the entire group's reluctance, school came back in session after New Year's Day passed. On the first of January at midnight, Namine made sure to kiss Axel at her party since it was tradition. She loved the fact that they could become a couple, free to go wherever they pleased and do whatever they wanted together. Of course, she still cherished her independence, but being with Axel lifted her spirits. Happy before dating him, happier as they dated—the cheer of the concluding holiday season was contagious. Best of all, she made good on the previous lie she had told her dumb ex-boyfriend Marluxia. Before school started again on the second of January, she met Axel out on the street to walk with him to school. Love filled her oceanic eyes while his lit up with love requited. Ah, it felt so good to have a more deserving guy to love!

Proudly striding hand-in-hand inside the school building, they noticed Sora and Kairi practically running toward them in the foyer. The couple appeared excited for their friends, especially Kairi.

"What did I tell you Nami, huh? I told you that you could ask him out, and you didn't believe me. Well, my favorite cousin, I have to say that I'm beyond happy for you!"

"Uh...thanks, Kai. But, I think you're overblowing your excitement," Namine pointed out, believing for certain that this was true. Even Sora nodded his agreement.

"Kairi, you can be too much of a busybody. Let's focus on our own love life please."

The redhaired girl embarrassingly blushed while both Axel and Sora chuckled upon her sudden shyness.

Namine demurely smiled to show that she really did think that this was true. However, she told both boys to silence them, "Guys, without Kairi, I wouldn't even be with you, Axel."

"Nah," he waved his hand dismissively, "I had decided over the break that if you weren't going to make the first move, I would. I was tired of being a coward around you. After all, I had to let my feelings for you show."

In response to his almost romantic confession, she sneaked her hand so that it laced through his. "You are amazing. But, I didn't know you were scared."

He laughed. "Don't put it that way! It's just the fact I was overwhelmed for once."

"He can't be cool and calm all the time," Sora declared, earning a jab in the ribs from Kairi.

Namine and Axel merely laughed, not taking the brunet's honest remark into offense. Besides, love could be troublesome when it came to tearing down a person's walls. It destroyed pride.

"See you in chemistry, Kairi," Namine called over her shoulder as she walked over to Roxas and Olette. Axel caught up to her shortly, and all four teenagers conversed in the same effect that Sora and Kairi had talked to them. Apparently, the recent romance blossoming between the pyro and the artist would be the talk of the school soon.

"Xion already told me that she called dibs when it came to a bet she had with Riku concerning you two. She wins a paid trip to the movies now," Olette giggled after saying this.  
Roxas gave a thumbs-up. "Now that you're together now, play nice. And be careful with Axe, Namine."

He said this jokingly, though Axel pretended to be reproachful by yelling, "Hey, watch it, Rox! If anything, she should watch out for me...not that she has to worry. You'll be safe."

"And so will you," Namine responded airily, pecking him on the cheek. They both waved goodbye to Roxas and Olette before heading over to Demyx's locker, where Selphie currently pestered the music addict. Zexion looked on, shuffling his feet slightly. Once seeing Axel and Namine, he held up a hand in greeting. However, a hint of concern crossed his face.

"I'm afraid you came at a bad time," he warned in a low tone. "Demyx is in the process of being tortured. See, his new year's resolution is to try to ward off Selphie. You notice how this is working out."

Slyly peering over Demyx's shoulder, Axel felt curious as to why Selphie wanted to annoy the crap out of her older brother. He only saw a haphazard mess of papers and textbooks inside the locker.

"How unimpressive, Demyx. Why would Selphie be inspecting your locker?"

"She's not," the aspiring lead guitarist as well as vocalist moaned. "She's asking if she can have some of my lunch. Look, Selph, just 'cause you're a starving sophomore doesn't mean—!"

"It does!" Selphie retaliated, brushing off her designer jeans for some reason. "If Mom bought you Subway subs, why can't I have some?"

Acting in an almost oddly shy manner, Zexion murmured, "He's a growing boy who needs to build up his strength. Do you want him to be pulverized by dodgeballs in PE?"

Her green eyes slightly dilated in awe, she whispered, "I never thought of it like that."

A crooked smile established itself on Zexion's lips, glad that he managed to settle a debate by himself. He always did think himself a diplomat of sorts. Unfortunately, due to his much valued pride, he pretended (very well) to give an irritated glare to Selphie.

"Well, I must inform you that you are an ignoramus. So, naturally, you would be prone to such blissful unawareness. You have nice clothes, Demyx has needs."

Selphie giggled, feigning to disregard Zexion's vast insight. "But, of course, genius boy!"

Growling under his breath, the head of his class stormed off toward his own locker. Namine wore a thoroughly entertained expression upon seeing this rather cute scene.

She told Demyx, "You watch. Those two will end up together."

Once he regained this quietly enunciated prediction, the gawky teen's mouth dropped open as he dropped his open tote bag. A heavy library book entitled _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ landed on his foot once it spilled out. He jumped up and down while panicking.

"That better not be true!" he shouted loudly enough to cause a scene. "I won't let her go out with hi—I won't even let him go out with her! They'll destroy each other! THEY'LL TEAR EACH OTHER APART!! They're doomed, so doomed."

"Thanks for the breakfast theatre, Dem," Axel complimented, patting his friend on the back. "See you!"

Axel and Namine abandoned their hopeless wreck of a friend as he anxiously banged his head against his locker. It is always a complicated situation if there's a remote possibility of a sibling going out with a friend.

Lastly, Namine decided that the two of them should pay a visit to a certain Marluxia Isaki and his "precious" current girlfriend. It was time to show that worthless flower boy who could move on more easily.

"You sure you want to do this, Nam?" Axel murmured his affectionate nickname for her. "You don't have to if you don't want to. This guy did hurt you."

"I'm pretty sure," Namine uttered confidently, placing her hands defiantly on her hips. "I've confronted him before, and I'll do it again."

As expected of that pink-haired, arrogant guy, he leaned casually against his locker as he chatted up Larxene. He probably said such charming things that she could hang on every word.

To think that Marluxia currently preyed on Larxene like he once preyed on her. Even such a desperate girl like that petulant blonde didn't deserve such treatment. His systematic way of attracting young women to later break their hearts had to stop. And it could start here.

"Hello, Marluxia," Namine greeted softly, peacefully, even though she died with evil laughter on the inside, "you've met Axel, right?"

A glow of genuine hurt seemed to cross his once beautiful sapphire eyes that now appeared so dangerous. It was a partial shame that it had to end up this way, Namine presumed. Then again, she had Axel, whom she knew for sure could be faithful. The lanky redhead himself sauntered up to Marluxia.

"So, you're the damned idiot who broke my girlfriend's heart, aren't you? Too bad, you're missing out."

The injury that looked so real in his eyes disappeared as the nearly eighteen-year-old man donned a harsh smirk. Tossing back his pink locks vainly, he held Larxene.

"Should I care?" he asked egotistically. "You two won't last. Whereas my dear Larxene and I will last through college."

"Yeah, you got nothing on us!" Larxene chimed in.

Ill-fatedly, Yuffie Kisaragi happened to strut confidently by the four teens, and she looked very tantalizing to Marluxia. In fact, he started hungrily at her behind without thinking straight.

And guess who would notice? Both Axel and Namine thought the same thing.

Her face reddened with the worst kind of rage possible, Larxene punched Marluxia on the chest repeatedly. She looked like she would explode into a million pieces.

She screamed too dramatically, "That weasly artist girl was right! You _do _stare at Kisaragi's ass! I should have known! WE'RE THROUGH!!"

"Larxene, wait," Marluxia whined, not looking the least bit princely as he chased after her. Namine and Axel glanced at each other...and laughed their heads off. Karma had made a glorious comeback after a break that consisted of a few months. Life itself was great.

Gazing at Namine laughingly, Axel remarked, "Yeah, we're definitely going to last longer than they are."

"I think we'll talk about them in the past tense now," she replied wittily.

And the two of them kissed without a care in the world, even as the school bell rang.

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**A/N: Well, there you go, guys. My holiday gift to you. XD I had pondered over that sequel still, but I doubt I could pull it off. After all, I'm not sure if something this good that I had fun doing could repeat itself. Oh, well. Luckily, I made it convenient for myself by not fully closing it up but not leaving it too open. If you know what I mean.**

**So, yeah, this kinda turned into "Love, Actually" at the end here. If you guys haven't seen that movie, it's good, especially if you love British movies. I think it partially inspired this whole fic, actually, considering the many viewpoints. The director did a good job with that movie. Anyway, thanks again, and I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Now, let's break some bottles. XD**


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